A Series of Unfortunate Events
by alexanderhamifan02
Summary: The dreadful history of the Hamada teenagers begins with a deadpan narrator, a terrible fire, and the ominous arrival of a distant relative. Will Tadashi and Hiro survive their terrible fate? Will Tadashi be able to protect his little brother from everything?
1. The Bad Beginning: Part One

**look away, look away**

* * *

 **A BAD BEGINNING:**

 **PART ONE**

To Beatrice H.

Darling, dearest, dead.

* * *

If you are interested in stories with happy endings, then you would be better off somewhere else.

In this story, not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle.

My name is Robert Callaghan. It is my solemn duty to bring to light the sorry history of the Hamada children as it happened so many years ago. But you, the reader, have no such obligation, and I would advise all our readers to turn away immediately and read something more pleasant instead.

This story will be dreadful, melancholy and calamitous, a word which here means "dreadful and melancholy." That is because not very many happy things happened in the lives of the Hamadas.

Thank you for your time.

* * *

Tadashi and Hiro were intelligent boys. Charming and resourceful, they had pleasant facial features, but they were extremely unlucky. Most everything that happened to them was rife with misfortune, misery, and despair. I'm sorry to tell you this, but that's how the story goes.

As Tadashi and Hiro boarded the San Fransokyo trolley, Hiro skipped to the back and telephoned the driver to take them to Briney Park, the most beautiful park in the city.

The Hamada family lived in a very large mansion at the heart of a dirty and busy city, and one day their parents rather unexpectantly asked the boys to take a rickety trolley alone to the park.

"I wonder why Mom and Dad didn't want to come with us," Tadashi said.

"Maybe they don't like this rickety trolley," said Hiro.

"Rickety" is a word here which means "unsteady" or "likely to collapse at any moment."

When Briney park was hot and sunny, the seashore was crowded with tourists, and it was impossible to find a good place to lay one's blanket. On gray and cloudy days, the Hamadas had the park more or less to themselves, so they could work together on their projects and experiments.

"Are you ready?" asked Tadashi, laying the blanket out on the cold, brown grass.

"Let's get to work," Hiro grinned.

"Do you think this will be as good as the mailbox?"

"I think this will be even better than the mailbox," Hiro said, smiling warmly at Tadashi. Tadashi smiled back.

Tadashi Hamada was the eldest Hamada child. He was 17 years old, right-handed, had a real knack for philanthropy, medicine, and building unusual devices. When Tadashi put his signature ball cap on, it was a sure sign that the pulleys, levers, and gears of his inventing mind were working at top speed.

"Hiro, at what angle are the prevailing currents?"

"The angle of the prevailing currents," Hiro started, flipping through a book while pulling a stone out of his bag.

Hiro Hamada was the youngest Hamada child. He was a little older than 15 and wore reading glasses on the tip of his nose when needed, which made him look intelligent.

"...Of course, we still need the right projectile," he finished.

He was intelligent.

Hiro pulled a stone out of his bag, making Tadashi's brow raise slightly. He chuckled at his younger brother.

"That's a perfect stone, Hiro, thank you!"

Tadashi stood from the blanket, pulling out a piece of chalk and marking an "X" on the stone. He then went into a lunge, aiming at the large pond in front of him. Hiro cleared his throat.

"Tadashi, why are you using your left hand?"

"Oh, I'm curious to see if I can skip the rock as far with my left as I can with my right."

"I don't mean to criticize, but standard scientific method calls for stable systematics."

Tadashi looked on at him blankly, waiting for him to clarify.

"You should use your standard right-handedness," Hiro said with a laugh.

"That does seem reasonable," Tadashi laughed, switching the rock into his right hand and lunging once again. Throwing his arm back and thrusting the stone forward, it flew through the air before hitting the water's surface and skipping across it eight times. Tadashi and Hiro both smiled in amazement.

"Hiro, what's that thing Einstein said?"

"'The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.'"

"And what's that thing James Brown said?"

"'I got something that makes me want to shout.'"

I've got something that tells me what it's all about.

Suddenly, after pressing a button on Hiro's bag, Tadashi had activated a claw-like machine that shot only inches above the water and about 15 feet out, going under water and retrieving the stone with the white X. Tadashi smirked as it came back quickly and dropped the stone into his palm. He looked at his brother, who was also smiling, and reached his fist out, letting their fists bump and making an explosion sound after.

For effect.

"It worked!" Tadashi exclaimed excitedly, proud of his latest invention.

"I never expected otherwise," Hiro said warmly.

Yes, the invention worked. This would be the perfect time to leave and pretend the rest of the story was just as happy and successful.

"I just wish Mom and Dad had seen it."

"It's not like them to send off on our own so unexpectantly."

A sudden coughing was brought to their attention and they turned to see the local bank teller, Wasabi (he thought the name made him sound cool), walking toward them, a handkerchief on his mouth to cover his loud, obnoxious coughs.

Certainly, I wish I could go back and change the history of the Hamadas at this very moment, rather than the descent into misery, tribulation, and dire inconvenience which will occur shortly.

"It only seems scary because of the mist," Hiro croaked hopefully, making Tadashi nod.

"It's Mr. Wasabi," Tadashi said with a smile.

"From the bank? What's he doing here?"

Wasabi smiled as he approached the boys, shoving his handkerchief in his pocket. The boys glanced at each other, unsure of what to say or do.

"Erhm, how are you today, Mr. Wasabi?"

"Fine, thank you," Wasabi smiled at the two.

"...It's a nice day," Tadashi added.

"It is a nice day," Wasabi said, not smiling. "I have some very bad news for you boys. Your parents have perished in a terrible fire."

The stone with the white X slipped helplessly from Tadashi's limp hand, toppling to the grass as he stared at the bank teller.

"...They perished in a fire that destroyed your entire home."

Hiro swayed slightly, never taking his eyes off of Wasabi's.

"I'm very, very sorry I have to tell you this."

Due to lack of response, Wasabi began to look around, waiting for what the now orphaned boys had to say.

"'Perished' means 'killed'," he clarified.

"We know what 'perished' means," said Hiro, his words empty.

Wasabi chuckled slightly, pointing at his car from across the street and leading the boys to it.

* * *

I have spent months of research and years crying myself to sleep, trying to discover the precise cause of the Hamada fire. But...all my associates and I have managed to learn is that neither the official fire department nor the volunteer fire department arrived in time to stop the blaze. Within moments, the entire Hamada mansion was engulfed in flames. It is useless for me to describe to you how terrible Tadashi and Hiro felt in the time that followed.

If you have ever lost somebody very important to you, then you already know how it feels, and if you haven't...you cannot possibly imagine it.

* * *

Wasabi coughed into his handkerchief as the Hamadas walked around the burnt remains of their home. All of their inventions, all of their personal belongings, their parents...

They were gone.

"I've never been through anything like this myself," Wasabi said sympathetically, "but I can imagine just how you feel. I did think you'd want to see what remains of your home, even though it is...more or less, um..."

"It's all gone," Tadashi muttered, his first words since Wasabi had announced the terrible news that changed his life.

"I just want to assure you Hamadas that you have absolutely nothing-"

"We have absolutely nothing," Hiro said, kicking a burnt book slightly to its side-it was his favorite book on robotics.

"...to worry about," Wasabi finished with a sigh.

Hiro walked over to his father's desk, now in ruins, to find a strange, cylinder like object in one of the drawers. He frowned, grabbing it for closer examination.

"I am the executor of your parent's estate, which means I'll be handling all matters concerning everything they've left behind."

"What did they leave behind?" Tadashi asked, fighting back tears.

"Financial security," Wasabi said happily. Hiro gasped quietly as part of the cylinder he had picked up broke and fell off. It appeared to be a telescope of some sort.

"Your parents left behind an enormous fortune, which will be yours when Tadashi comes of age."

"Wait, what?" Tadashi asked, stepping forward. "When I 'come of age'? I'm seventeen, can't we use it now?"

"Your parents specifically said they don't want you to have it until you are twenty-one in their will. Now, until then, you will be placed with the proper guardian, or guardians, as decided by myself and my fellow bankers at Mulctuary Money Management."

Tadashi said nothing, falling silent as Wasabi lead them back to the car.

As they got inside, they looked behind them, the mansion getting smaller and smaller as they pulled away. A tear went down Tadashi's cheek.

"Goodbye," he said helplessly, turning back to the front of the car. Hiro looked at Tadashi with concern before turning back around himself.

"Until we've identified your designated guardian, you'll stay with my family. That's not so bad, is it, Hamadas? I'm sure you'll become fast friends with my girlfriend, Eleanora. Right?"

Tadashi looked at Hiro, desperate for anything else than to stay with Wasabi. Hiro clearly felt the same.

* * *

"Wasabi, dear, I made boiled chicken for dinner!" Eleanora cheered when Wasabi and the Hamadas had walked through the door.

"Oh, hello, dear," Wasabi greeted tiredly. The group immediately sat down at the table as Eleanora rushed to the table to fix each of them a plate.

There was little to no conversation throughout the meal.

After dinner, which felt like lasted for hours, the two Hamadas went up to their beds, feeling empty and tired. They laid down in their beds slowly as Wasabi turned out the light.

"Remember, Hamadas, our home is your home," he'd said warmly.

The boys had a difficult time believing him but, nevertheless, smiled at him in gratitude.

Hiro rolled onto his side, realizing he was facing Tadashi from his bed. His eyes widened slightly. Tadashi looked over at Hiro, concern lacing his features. Perhaps at the fact that Hiro hadn't cried yet, or that he hadn't spoken much. To be fair neither had he, so he simply rolled over and closed his eyes. He heard Hiro shift from across the room, and the two were soon fast asleep.

* * *

"Chop-chop, Hamadas! Now that I've found you a suitable guardian, I'm going to take you to your new home before banking hours begin."

The Hamada boys followed tiredly, still extremely low on spirits and silent. Eleanora enthusiastically waved them goodbye, calling out "good luck!" repeatedly and waking the entire neighborhood. Angry shouts were followed soon after.

The three boys were soon driving off, Wasabi coughing obnoxiously the entire time.

"I know you must be nervous about living with a new guardian," said Wasabi, "I remember how I was when I was your age."

"We're both different ages," Hiro pointed out.

"Well, I should think at least a fraction of your unhappiness will turn to excitement when you meet this man. I know he's certainly very eager to meet you, and he's the owner of Krei Tech, so you know his excitement is genuine. His name is Alistar Krei."

"Wait-THE Alistar Krei?" Tadashi asked in disbelief. "Of Krei Tech Industries?"

"That's right," Wasabi said. "He's either...let's see...your third cousin fourth time removed, or your fourth cousin three times removed. In any case, he's removed. Still, he's only three miles away, and your parents' will was very specific about you being raised by your closest living relative."

"Does he really that's what 'closest living relative' means?" Hiro asked.

Wasabi only shrugged, shoving his handkerchief on his face again and letting out strained coughs.

* * *

"Hello there! Salutations! Shalom! You must be the Hamada children!"

Wasabi, Tadashi, and Hiro were parked at their destination, talking to a woman in her early thirties with red hair and a half apron on. They stood next to a cafe that she must have worked at, but there appeared to be a living area above it-this must be their new guardian.

"Yes, I'm Tadashi Hamada," Tadashi said, shaking her hand. "This is my little brother, Hiro. And this is Mr. Wasabi, he;s been arranging things for us."

"Mulctuary Money Management. My name and title are on the card," Wasabi said with a grin as he handed the woman a business card.

"Oh!" Cass said excitedly, "Well, I am Cassandra! You can call me Cass, I run this cafe right here! Forgive my not shaking hands, but as you can see," she said indicating her arms which, the Hamadas had just realized, were carrying five brown paper grocery bags. "I've got my hands full. I just bought a new toolkit because my food processor broke, although I don't who I think I'm kidding because I have no inventive or mechanical skill whatsoever. Then I treated myself to new seat covers for the couches in my garage and some new mouses for the five computers in there and frankly I don't have an acute technological sense. And then, to top it all of, I forgot to buy a new toaster for my bread, which is a real bummer because-"

"We'd be more than happy to help, Miss Cass," Hiro said. "My brother is very mechanically minded, and I'm quite adept at computer science."

"Well, how wonderful! How lucky am I to have such unusual children in my life?"

"Are you Mr. Krei's wife?" Hiro asked.

"What? Oh. Oh, no! No, no. Goodness me, no. I don't even really know him that well. He's...he's just my neighbor. His house is over there."

The boys gasped as they turned around. Right across from Cass's warm, welcoming cafe, was a large house, clearly technologically advanced in every way. The walls were painted black with glowing lights surrounding certain areas, which they assumed were buttons that operated certain aspects of the modern home. It scared them and lured them towards it at the same time. It was a modern masterpiece, yet a terrifying home.

When they approached it and rang the bell, a loud, obnoxious buzzing sound was heard from inside. The brothers looked at each other in uncertainty.

They waited for three minutes.

"That's strange," Wasabi frowned. "He said specifically he was waiting very eagerly to get his hands on you."

At those words, Tadashi's hand flew from his side and he grasped Hiro's tightly. Wasabi rang the doorbell once again.

A loud bang was heard before the door swung open. Alistar Krei himself was standing before them dressed in a blue suit and white dress shoes. He held his sleeves smugly as he smirked at the three.

"Hello, hello, hello, boys," Alistar said. The trio's eyes immediately noticed a tattoo on Alistar's ankle. What appeared to be the Krei Tech "K" was printed on his left ankle, making them all eye him awkwardly.

"I am Alistar Krei, the brilliant CEO of Krei Industries and your new guardian. You're welcome."

"Thank you," Tadashi muttered as politely as he could.

"You're welcome" Alistar repeated. "Please, come in, and mind you wipe your feet on the mat so you don't track any mud. And don't forget your enormous fortune!" Alistar swung his arm to reveal the inside of the home which, although modern and beautiful in every aspect, was completely trashed and cluttered. "Welcome to my humble home, orphans."

He was about to shut the door when Wasabi stepped inside, looking around the home with a disgusted yet pleased look.

"...And a man with a hat on."

"Wasabi," the bank teller greeted, shaking Alistar's hand.

"Actually, I'm about to be very wealthy-well, wealthier than I am now-so if you'll excuse me..."

"No, we spoke on the phone," said Wasabi. "I'm from Mulctuary Money Management."

"Hmm. 'Money' sounds familiar, but-"

"The bank. I'm from the bank."

"Ah, yes, the bank!" Alistar said excitedly. "Well, welcome to my humble home."

"Yes, it-" Wasabi began coughing violently into his handkerchief once again, hurling over before straightening back up and looking around. "It does seem to need a little work..."

Alistar glared at him.

"Well, I realize it's not as fancy as the Hamada mansion, but perhaps, children, with a bit of your money, we'll be able to fix it up, make it look nicer."

"Mr. Krei, the Hamada mansion is not to be used for such matters," Wasabi instructed. "The Hamada will is very specific as to how the children are to be raised in case if an unfortunate event."

"Ah, yes, the fire," Alistar said with a frown.

"They're to be raised by their closest relative."

"That is I, Alistar Krei."

"And every cent of the Hamada fortune is locked up until Tadashi comes of age."

"Which one is Tadashi?" Alistar asked in a whisper.

"The eldest," Wasabi said.

Alistar growled under his breath in annoyance.

"All right, then. Well, I hope I can prove myself to be the father you never had."

"We had a father," Hiro said.

"Yes, I know, and a mother. A remarkable woman, flammable."

Tadashi and Hiro looked at him in disgust. Wasabi cleared his throat, desperately avoiding another coughing fit. Alistar only continued smirking.

"So, Wasabi, do I need to sign for them or something?"

"What? No, no."

"Well then, as we say in business, this sale is closed!" Alistar said, his smirk growing. Wasabi nodded, turning to the orphans once more.

"Goodbye Tadashi, goodbye Hiro. I hope you'll be happy here. I'll still check in on you occasionally. If you need anything or have questions, you can reach me at the bank-"

Alistar slammed the door, turning to smile at the brothers.

"Well, boys, before I give you a tour of your new home, aren't you going to say 'How are you doing?' to your new guardian?"

"How are you doing?" Tadashi asked bitterly. Alistar grimaced.

"How am I doing? Better and better, Hamadas. Better and better."

The dreadful villainy of this vile fiend had haunted me since I met him as a young man. And every night when I continue my work on the Hamada case, I find myself weeping thinking of his utter wickedness and severe lack of talent in any form.

Alistar pulled a long piece of paper out of the pocket of his suit, presenting it to the two.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked them.

"It looks like a list," Hiro replied.

"Wrong! It's a list. A list of chores. Rich brats like you are probably spoiled rotten and have never done a chore in your life."

"Actually," Tadashi spoke up, his anger rising, "we often help around the house."

"Really? Did you help around the house? That's great. Well, welcome to your lucky life. Come with me, and I'll show you the delightful features of your home."

Alistar began to walk to one of the doors in the living area, Tadashi and Hiro slowly following him.

"This is the kitchen," Alistar said, opening a swinging door. It would have been beautiful if not for the tremendous amounts of dishes piled on the counters and tables. Grease and dust were on almost every inch of the floors and walls, and it reeked of rotten food. The boys looked around with growing disgust. "I expect you to keep everything gleamingly clean."

"'Gleamingly'?" Tadashi asked with dread.

"Clean," Alistar said. He leads them to the next room, an open area next to the staircase.

"This is the library, which you will keep well-dusted," Alistar said. The library was somehow even messier than the kitchen, books lying torn and abused on every section of the floor. "This is where I do all my reading."

Hiro looked around at the library, utterly terrified. If there's one thing Hiro loved doing as much as fixing things and performing his flawless computer skills on all technology possible, it was reading. Gulping loudly, the boys followed Alistar to the next room, a large set of double doors. He swung them open, allowing them a very little view of the room.

"I don't use the work room at all," Alistar said. "You'll have to redo the floors."

He took them across the hall to the laundry room.

"You can hang my underwear in here when you're done washing it," Alistar said simply, slamming the door and taking them outside.

"This is the backyard, which needs weeding, mowing, and pruning. It is also where you will chop wood."

He finally took them upstairs, kicking an old wooden door open.

"Bathroom number seven, the only one you are allowed to use. It has all the usual amenities, though the management regrets to inform you that the shampoo is not tear-free. If anything, it encourages tears."

The boys looked away as a large rat ran across the bathroom floor.

"Rats bite," Alistar said simply. He took them up to the attic, extending his arm to present the final room of the house.

"This is where you will sleep, orphans."

The room was really small, angled at the top and containing one twin sized bed in the center.

"Out of all the rooms in this enormous mansion, I have chosen this one for your safety and comfort."

"There's only one bed," Hiro said.

"As you can see, I have provided, at no cost to you, this complimentary pile of rocks," Alistar said, pointing at a large pile of rocks in the corner of the room.

The boys' mouths opened slightly at this, looking back at Alistar as he slowly approached them.

"Thoughts?"

"'Thoughts'?" Hiro asked in disbelief. "First of all-"

"First of all, first impressions are often wrong," Tadashi interrupted, looking at Hiro cautiously.

"Very true," Alistar nodded in agreement. "For example, your first impression of me may be that I am a terrible person. But in time, Hamadas, I hope you will come to realize..."

Tadashi smiled politely at Alistar, waiting for the end of Alistar's kind gesture.

"...you haven't the faintest idea."

Tadashi's eyes widened and his hand once again reached for Hiro's. Alistar however, walked in between them, breaking their bond and bumping into Tadashi in the progress.

"I'll give you a moment to unpack," he said finally, slamming the door shut.

The boys slowly walked to the small bed and sat down. Hiro glanced at the door in fear.

"It's okay, Hiro, he's gone," Tadashi reassured him, rubbing his baby brother's shoulder.

"He's horrible," Hiro said quietly. "Did you see the tattoo on his ankle?"

"A tattoo is just a decorative pigment on skin," Tadashi said flatly, continuing to rub Hiro's shoulder. "It's not a sign of a wicked person."

"Unless it's on a wicked person," Hiro muttered. "How could our parents put us here?"

"It's just a mistake, I'm sure it'll get sorted out. Until then, we'll make this our home."

"Mom used to say, 'Home is where you hang your hat.' But we don't have any hats. Just rocks."

"Hiro...have you read any books on people who make homes in difficult places?"

"There's a village in the Pacific Islands suspended on ropes above an active volcano."

"How do they manage?" Tadashi asked, trying to lighten the mood. Hiro paused, swallowing hard.

"They own very little...in case it erupts," Hiro said.

"Then we're already one step ahead," Tadashi said with a small, pitiful smile. "We own nothing."

"If they can survive that, we can survive Alistar Krei."

Tadashi nodded, grabbing Hiro's hand tightly and hugging him.

At that moment, Alistar burst through the door, a mop and bucket in both of his hands.

"Showtime!" he exclaimed.

He tossed the tools at the two, leading them to the seventh bathroom. They filled the bucket with soapy water, scrubbing the bathroom. The sound of the doorbell chiming made them shoot their heads up.

"Stay here!" Alistar scolded them. "And not a peep."

Alistar rushed down the stairs, swinging the front door open to see Cass from the cafe across the street. She gasped at the sight of him before quickly putting on her biggest smile. In her hands, she held a large platter, assorted donuts of all flavors and colors on it.

"You're a little old for a girl scout," Alistar said.

"I'm Cassy!"

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"I'm your neighbor. I...I live across the street. I run the Lucky Cat Cafe."

"Ah, yes, Cassandra."

"May I come in?" she asked eagerly.

"Is this about the Hamada brothers? I apologize for the noise, I told them to cry using their inside voices."

"What?"

"Hmm?"

"I...I just thought I'd stop by to see how they're doing," Cass clarified. "I know it's a little soon, but I'm about to become very busy with a difficult catering demand from a client. I made them these donuts!"

"How neighborly," Alistar smiled, stepping outside and shutting the door behind him. Cass backed up cautiously.

"I don't mean to seem like a lonely woman who's overinvested in the lives of someone else's children..."

"You do have that aura," Alistar grimaced.

"Perhaps if I just pop in for a quick hello-"

"Now is not the time," Alistar said. "They're in one of their moods."

"They seemed so sweet," Cass smiled.

"Do you have children, Cassandra?"

"Me? Oh, no," Cass said sadly. "No, I always hoped I would, but I'm married to my cafe, and you can't very well have donut babies...now, can you?" she laughed at her joke, but Alistar only continued staring at her.

"Well, you dodged a bullet," Alistar said. "Let me tell you, those boys are monsters. I open my home to them, and all they do is complain. 'The bathroom is filthy. The rat is noisy. The bed is cramped.' I think living in a mansion has spoiled them."

"Well, they did just their-did you say 'bed'?"

"I meant 'bed' as in 'more than one bed', obviously. The plural of one bed is 'bed'..."

"Well, I wouldn't know," Cass shrugged. "I live alone."

"No kidding," Alistar nodded, turning around and going back inside.

"At least take the donuts," Cass begged. "I made the frosting and...please, just ask them if they'd like to see me."

"Fine," Alistar sighed, "But wait here, for your own safety. They tend to throw things."

With that, he stole the platter of donuts and slammed the door, rushing up the steps to see the boys. He flew the door open, a donut hanging out of his mouth.

"You missed a spot," he spat at Hiro, throwing the half-eaten donut on the ground and going back downstairs.

The brothers looked at each other in confusion.

Alistar opened the front door, making Cass gasp again in surprise and tossing the donut platter back to her, which appeared to be lacking donuts.

"They don't want to see you," he said simply.

"Are you sure?" Cass asked, heartbroken. "What did they say."

"The donuts were too mushy," he replied, picking a clump of donut out of his teeth. "Rich kids."

And with that, he slammed the door once more in her face, leaving her deeply saddened as she trudged back to her cafe.

If only Cass had been able to get past Alistar Krei, if only she'd seen the boys in their horrible circumstances, if only this world weren't such a wicked and topsy-turvy place...this story might have turned out differently.

* * *

Hiro and Tadashi trudged to the attic and collapsed on the small bed. Hiro pulled his toothbrush out of his pocket, which had turned a horrible brown color due to the fact that he used it to clean the bathroom floor.

"I never want to use a toothbrush again," Hiro sighed, dropping it and letting it topple underneath the bed. Alistar opened the attic door, frowning at the two.

"Why aren't you cleaning? My list was very specific."

"We finished it," Tadashi replied, handing him the list. Alistar grabbed it and chuckled in disbelief, pulling out a pen from his suit pocket.

"No, you didn't," he smirked, turning the paper over and writing on the back.

"We even cleaned your underwear," Hiro said, pleading him not to make them do any more work.

"You missed one," Alistar said showing the two boys the freshly written ink on the old piece of parchment. Hiro snatched it from him, reading the words. "You still have to prepare a large meal for myself and my business partners."

"We don't know how to prepare a large dinner," Hiro argued.

"Plan the menu, purchase the ingredients, prepare the food, set the table, serve dinner, clean up afterward, and stay out of our way," Alistar sneered.

"How can we purchase anything?" Hiro asked. "We don't have any money."

Alistar sighed. pulling out his billfold and handing Hiro thirty dollars.

"Do you know what that is?" Alistar asked.

"Something greasy," Tadashi said, looking over Hiro's shoulder at the browned cash.

"Money," Alistar said. "Hard-earned money. The most important substance on earth besides business and management. Since the bossy banker won't let us use any of your parents' enormous fortune, I am forced to cough up my own earnings from my occasional but of consulting work. Now...quick. Get a move on. My associates will be here at 7:00. And in the meantime, I will be up in...erhm, my secret tower room. Which you are forbidden to go into! Understood? Forbidden!"

"Forbidden," Tadashi confirmed.

"That's-yes," Alistar snarled, slamming the bedroom door.

Hiro collapsed on the bed again, looking from the money to the list.

"How are we supposed to make dinner for an entire business meeting?" Hiro asked.

"We start with a recipe," Tadashi said. "Do you think Cass would let us use her computers to search for some on the internet?"

Suddenly, a newspaper came flying into the room from their window, landing a Tadashi's feet. The headline read:

 **HAMADAS SAFE AND SOUND**

 **AT HOME OF FAMOUS BUSINESS OWNER**

They both sigh in annoyance.

* * *

The Hamada brothers walked into the cafe, ringing Cass's doorbell above the entrance. The excitement of being in the public area came over them. It may have been stupid, but this was the only person in their lives that appeared to really care about them, and the boys couldn't resist feeling slightly happier when she spotted them from the counter.

"Hamadas!" she greeted excitedly. "I wasn't expecting you."

"We meant to come sooner," said Tadashi. "We were cleaning."

"Yes," Cass smiled. "Alistar told me you were very particular about that. I hope you appreciate how much he's doing for you."

"I wouldn't say 'much'..." Hiro muttered.

"Well, perhaps not compared to what you're used to," Cass said. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually, Cass, we really need your help," said Tadashi.

"You do?"

"Tadashi and I were wondering..." Hiro started.

"Wondering what?" Cass pushed on hopefully.

"If we might use your computers," Hiro said.

"If you might use my computers..." Cass repeats, ushering them to follow her to the garage. "Is there a reason in particular?"

"We need to search for a good recipe," Tadashi said. "Alistar is making us prepare a meal for his business associates."

Cass stopped, turning around to face the boys with shock.

"Why didn't you just say so?" she asked. "We can prepare a meal here, together! I've got all kinds of recipes memorized, from meatloaf to bread to spaghetti-"

"That would be wonderful, thank you!" Tadashi said, sighing in relief. Cass lead them back upstairs to the cafe, turning the "OPEN" sign to "CLOSED". She then leads them upstairs to her personal kitchen apart from the one in the cafe, pulling out pots and pans.

"So, boys, what'll it be?"

"Well, what's the quickest recipe we can use?" Hiro asked. "We only have until 7:00."

"Hmm...the quickest thing that comes to mind is chicken pot pie."

"Perfect!" the boys said in unison, helping Cass in every way possible. Hiro began cutting up vegetables while Tadashi cut up the chicken. Cass rolled the dough onto the counter and placed it in a large pie dish. After working on their own stations for about fifteen minutes, they combined the ingredients and placed them in the oven.

"What about dessert?" Cass asked the boys.

"Well, what do you think?" Tadashi asked.

"We can make chocolate chip cookies, easy!" Cass said, immediately putting the boys to work.

Only, this time, they really enjoyed the work.

After the cookies and the pie was done, the boys thanked Cass continuously and ran back to the house. Before they reached it, however...

"Hamadas!" Cass called, rushing after them and meeting them halfway.

"Yes, Cass?" Tadashi asked.

"I think...I think that it's really nice that you're cooking dinner for Alistar."

Cass paused, breathing heavily and looking around sadly before turning to Hiro and holding his hand.

"You have had such sorrow in your life already. You deserve the blessing of a new family with Alistar Krei and, if you don't mind my saying so...with me."

Hiro chuckled, squeezing her hand and hugging her tightly.

"We _don't_ mind your saying so," Hiro said softly. Cass gasped, hugging him back tightly as Tadashi watched on in pure joy.

Boy, he did _not_ wanna go back inside of Alistar Krei's house.

* * *

As Hiro and Tadashi walked back inside the house, a newfound hope burning inside of them, Tadashi looked at Hiro with a small smile.

"Hiro, what's that thing James Brown said-?"

"I feel GOOD!" Alistar shouted suddenly from the staircase, startling the brothers. Three businessmen and two businesswomen followed behind Alistar, laughing tremendously and drinking champagne. They all stopped when they saw the two boys, straightening up and glaring at them slightly.

"Orphans," said Alistar. "Meet my business colleagues."

"Hi."

"Hello."

"Good day."

"Lovely."

"Splendid."

"And as anyone in business knows," Alistar continued, "around your superiors, you should not stare."

"Sorry," Tadashi said, looking down at the covered pie in his arms.

"And what is of the meal you've prepared for us?" Alistar asked.

"We just need to set the table and it will be ready," Hiro said.

"What are we supposed to do until then?"

"We could wait patiently," one of the businessmen suggested.

"How about some wine, Alistar?" a businesswoman asked.

"Yes, yes, wine," another added. "We had that nice rose last time."

"All right, fine," Alistar sighed. "I'll open up a box of Merlotte."

An associate of mine named Brillat-Savarin famously said, "To invite people to dine with us is to make ourselves responsible for their well-being as long as they are under our roofs." But he was an 18th-century philosopher and gourmand, and these were two teenagers with very little cooking experience. If it weren't for Cass, Alistar would be having them for dinner. Nevertheless, the Hamada orphans snapped into action. Tadashi reheated the pie, Hiro prepared the cookies on a platter, set the table, and poured the wine.

"Maybe we can make this our home after all," Tadashi said. "Remember what Dad said when he burnt the quesadillas?"

"Yeah," Hiro laughed. "'Better than nothing.'"

* * *

At times like these, surrounded by colleagues and cohorts, gathered together in fellowship for the purpose of selling adequate robot and futuristic technological features, there's an eternal question that always springs to mind...When are we going to eat?!"

At the moment, Tadashi and Hiro opened the kitchen doors, the pie, and cookies in hand.

"Dinner is served," Hiro said.

"Wow, that was quick," one of the businessmen said.

"And it smells delicious."

"As I was saying," Alistar growled, "before the help interrupted, there is no 'I' in business..."

The Krei Tech workers all glanced at each other in uncertainty.

"...no selfish urges, no arrogance, no ego, no vanity. There is only what the French call a certain...'escargot.'"

"Mmm-hmm."

"It is the first burst of applause when you make your first sale. The second burst of applause when you become CEO and rename the company. I give and I give to the public, just as I give and give to these orphans."

"Erhm, boss?" a businesswoman speaks up, pointing behind him. Hiro and Tadashi were standing waiting to serve Alistar his dinner. He frowned.

"Where's the roast beef?"

"What?" Tadashi asked.

"The roast beef," Alistar repeated in a hiss.

"We didn't make any roast beef," Tadashi replied, feeling immense anger towards Alistar. "We made chicken pot pie."

"And homemade cookies," Hiro added, gesturing at the platter in his arms.

"What?" Alistar asked in disbelief. "No roast beef?"

"You didn't tell us you wanted roast beef," Hiro said, keeping completely calm. Tadashi tilted his head at this slightly.

"Look at my guests!" Alistar yelled, gesturing at the employees, each one of them devouring their pie. "They...they can hardly touch this revolting foreign food!"

The employees all immediately dropped their forks, staring at Alistar. Alistar stood up, towering over Hiro. Tadashi stood behind him, putting the pie dish on the table in concern.

 _If he lays a hand on him..._

"In agreeing to adopt you, I became your father," Alistar whispered, his face turning red. "And as your father, I am not someone to be trifled with. I demand that you serve roast beef to myself and my guests!"

"We don't have any!" Tadashi yelled. "We have chicken pot pie."

"And cookies for dessert!" Hiro added, putting the tray on the table for Alistar to see. Alistar stood with a wave of his hand, glaring at his employees.

"We're leaving for a late night of work!"

"But the kid said there were chocolate chip cookies!" a businessman complained.

"You children are to clean the table," Alistar went on, ignoring the hungry businessman. "Wash the dishes, polish the silver, rinse out all the wine bottles for recycling. Then you are to go straight to your beds."

"You mean our bed?" Hiro asked, calmly crossing his arms and glaring at the man. "You've only provided us with one bed."

"If you want another bed, tomorrow you may go into town and purchase one."

"You know perfectly well we don't have any money."

"Hmm. Of course, you do. You two lucky orphans are inheriting an enormous fortune," Alistar began to angrier and angrier at Hiro. Tadashi hadn't noticed, but he had begun backing away from the two along with the Krei Tech employees, watching the scene unfold in great concern.

 _Why are you backing away?! Go help him-!_

"The money our parents left behind is NOT to be used until Tadashi-"

 _SMACK_

Hiro toppled to the ground unconscious. Alistar had slapped him across the face, shaking his hand out afterward. He burped, looking around at the shocked group, and straightening his jacket.

"The office awaits."

The employees and Krei left the mansion, leaving Tadashi to stare in shock at his unconscious brother. Realization began to kick in, until...

"Hiro!"

Tadashi sprinted toward his little brother, cradling him in his arms.

"Hiro, Hiro, Hiro! Please wake up, I'm so, so sorry..."

Hiro moaned, slowly opening his eyes and looking up at Tadashi.

"Hiro? Oh, thank god! Are you all right?!" Hiro sat up in Tadashi's arms, rubbing his red, swollen cheek.

"Yes-no-I...This isn't." Hiro stuttered. Tadashi shook his head in confusion, brushing Hiro's bangs out of his hair.

"What?"

"Better than nothing."

Thunder began to rumble outside and the pattering of rain was heard soon after. Tadashi only cried slightly, relief pouring over him that Hiro was okay as he pulled his brother into a bone crushing hug.

* * *

There are many, many things that are better than nothing. A home-cooked meal is better than nothing, a roof over one's head is better than nothing, and a place to sleep, even if the bed is very small and the blanket damp with tears, is better than nothing.

But being raised in a violent and sinister environment by a man more interested in one's fortune than comfort and well-being is not better than nothing, and as the Hamadas will discover, there are some things that even a long night of introspection cannot change.

Across the street, Cass sat in her cafe drinking her tea, reading deeply into her book that had been stowed away in her closet for many years, _Adoption Law & You._

The Hamada orphans new they had to find a way out of their dreadfully unfortunate circumstances, and, perhaps, solve the mystery of how they ended up in them. I have the same dedication to researching and presenting this story no matter what danger it puts me in. Trouble and strife can cover this world like the dark of night. Or like smoke from a suspicious fire. And when that happens...

...all good, true and decent people know that it's time to volunteer."

* * *

"I'm worried about the children."

"Me, too. They're in danger, I know it."

"We need to get to them."

"We need to get out of here first."

...

...

"What's that thing Einstein said?


	2. The Bad Beginning: Part Two

**back again**

* * *

 **THE BAD BEGINNING:**

 **PART TWO**

Hello, my name is Robert Callaghan, and I'm sorry to say that the alleged entertainment that you are watching is extremely unpleasant.

"Honey Lemon, could you bring the Hamada file in here, please?" Wasabi asked on his intercom, going back to balancing his travel receipts.

From the beginning of this miserable tale to the last melancholy scene, I cannot think if a single line, a single word, that does not chill me to my deepest bones.

"Honey Lemon, could you bring the Hamada file in here, please?"

However, the sad history of the Hamada orphans did not begin in this private, somewhat ill-decorated office of Mr. Wasabi at Mulctuary Money Management.

"Honey Lemon, could you bring the Hamada file in here, please?"

Nor does their story begin on that gray and cloudy morning at Briney Park, where the Hamada children, Tadashi and Hiro, received terrible news. In fact, the tale of the Hamada orphans begins long before the fire, which left the boys with practically nothing to their names. Their story begins before their brief and unpleasant stay with Wasabi and Eleanora. It begins before the boys meet Cassandra, a lovely lady who, unfortunately, is not their guardian. The Hamada orphans were placed under the care of a terrible businessman with a terrible tattoo on his ankle which made the Hamadas sleep in an awful room, do a series of painful and irritating chores, and cook dinner for his disreputable and mostly untalented business associates. These unfortunate events resulted in an act of violence that ought not to be shown on paper.

"Why?" you may ask. Why did the Hamada orphans suffer through this series of unfortunate events? How did the capable and intelligent children of the kind and attentive parents end up in the care of Alistar Krei? That answer, at least, can be found shortly after the fire that claimed the Hamada home.

Inside the private, somewhat ill-decorated office of Mr. Wasabi at Mulctuary Money Management.

"Honey Lemon, could you bring the Hamada file in here, please?"

* * *

Alistar and his associates pulled up in front of Mulctuary Money Management, parking in a nearby alley while Alistar began putting on a coat, sunglasses, and a fake mustache.

"Do you know what the question I'm asked most is?"

"'Will you please leave the premises?'" one businessman asked.

"'Why do I do it?'" Alistar finished, ignoring his colleague. "'Alistar Krei,' they ask me, 'why are you a CEO? Why not a professional golfer? Or a model?'"

"For fame and fortune," one businesswoman added.

"No."

"For all the paparazzi?" another added.

"No. For the fame, fortune, and paparazzi," Alistar said with a smirk, getting out of the car and heading towards Mulctuary Money Management. He approached the front desk where a young, blonde woman sat, the golden plate on her desk labeled "Aiko." Next to it was a post-it note that read "Honey Lemon" with a heart. She was having a profound conversation with someone on the phone.

"Well, we've got to reach them," she whispered into the phone. "Try Tokyo...Well, try it again. Yes, it's an emergency, I'm keeping an eye on things best I can, but..."

She paused when she spotted Alistar approach her desk, eyes widening.

"Let me call you back."

She looked at Alistar with a glare, trying not to laugh at his attempt at a disguise.

"I have an appointment," Alistar said in a fake elderly voice.

"Name?"

Alistar sighed, looking down at the planner on the desk and squinting at the 1:00 appointment next to the time. He smirked.

"Haircut!"

"Haircut," Honey Lemon repeated in confusion.

"Yes...sica Haircut is my name."

"Yessica Haircut."

"Yes. Yessica."

They glared at each other for a long while before the intercom made a loud noise, making the two jump.

" _Honey_ _Lemon, could you bring the Hamada file in here, please_?"

She pulled the file out of a large drawer in her desk, never taking her eyes off of Alistar's. Alistar grabbed the file, snatching it out of her hands and walking to Wasabi's office.

There are many police inspectors, concerned citizens, and television executives who have expressed confusion as to how the Hamada orphans ended up in Alistar Krei's so-called care. The scene you are reading right this second is called a flashback. That is a word which here means "taken place during the events of the last chapter, shortly after the Hamada fire, and during the Hamada's unfortunate stay with Wasabi and Eleanora."

I present it to you now in the hopes that the police inspectors, concerned civilians, and television executives might finally leave me alone.

"Hello, banker man," Alistar greeted. Wasabi raised a brow at him. "The Hamada fire is precisely why I'm here."

"File, not fire," Wasabi corrected him.

"I said file," Alistar muttered. Wasabi looked unsure but motioned him to continue. "Allow me to introduce myself, because, as you can see from my mustache, we have never met before, and as you can see from my coat, ascot, and sunglasses, I'm here on business. I'm here to consult with you on the Hamada will, for which I understand you are the executioner."

"Executor," Wasabi corrected again.

"Person who controls people's fortunes after a terrible fire has just happened. My name..."

He was about to declare that he was indeed the famous, wealthy business owner of Krei Tech when he glanced at the door to Mr. Wasabi's office, Honey Lemon standing glaring at him from it. He cleared his throat to sound elderly once again. "...Yessica Haircut."

"That's strange," Wasabi said suspiciously, rising from his seat. "I have an appointment for a haircut right now. Honey Lemon, please cancel that haircut."

"Mr. Wasabi, there's an urgent matter-"

"No, no. I wanna hear what this man Haircut has to say."

Alistar smirked at Honey Lemon, whispering "shoo" to her and waving. She snarled, slamming the door and storming back to her desk. From there, she pulled the top drawer open and pulled out a telescope, identical to the one Hiro had found in the fire. She then went out to the front of the bank, using the telescope to see Alistar's associates from across the street.

Suddenly, one of the Krei Tech employees appeared right in front of her telescope, grinning menacingly at the girl. She grimaced at his disgusting complexion.

"I'd like to make a withdrawal," he murmured, grabbing her by the throat and walking off.

* * *

"Well, I don't know, Mr.-erhm-Haircut," Wasabi said with a frown, going through multiple files. "The Hamada will states very clearly what is to happen in the untimely deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Hamada. They are to be raised by their closest living relative, who appears to be a renowned scientist by the name of-"

"It is one thing to listen to science, Mr. Banker man."

"Wasabi."

"It is another to listen to the advice of a consultant. And in my important consulting expertise business, the phrase 'closest living relative' can only mean one thing...'whoever lives nearby.'"

"Really?" Wasabi asked sarcastically. "You think so?"

"I would stake my fortune on it," said Alistar. "Or my name's not whatever it is I told you it was."

"Well, in that case, we're going to need a map of the city."

Alistar, hardly giving a thought, pulled out a large map of San Fransokyo, various locations labeled and marked.

"I think the person nearest to the Hamadas is a renowned business owner, and handsome man, Alistar Krei."

"Alistar...never heard of him."

Alistar glared at the man, rolling his eyes.

"He's been favorably mentioned in every form of social media for taking over a research lab and naming it 'Krei Tech.' And if I'm not mistaken, he lives right...here." Alistar pointed to a large circle on the map, 20 miles away from the Hamada mansion.

"Is that the closest?" Wasabi asked in disbelief.

"Yes, absolutely, for sure."

Wasabi continued staring at Alistar before pressing the button on his intercom.

"Honey Lemon, can you please bring me an enormous ruler?"

At the silence that followed, Wasabi frowned at the intercom, pressing it once again.

"Honey Lemon?"

Wasabi rolled his eyes, standing up from his desk and opening the office door, glancing at Honey Lemon's desk, which was empty.

"Guess I'll get it myself," Wasabi groaned, snatching the ruler out from the desk drawer and returning to his office.

These events at Mulctuary Money Management resulted in unfortunate events far and near, from a woman trapped in a remote park...

...

"You'll never get away with this," Honey Lemon sneered at the Krei Tech employees as they finished tying her to a tree in Briney park.

"I already did get away with it," an employee barked back, throwing the remaining rope to the ground.

...

...to two orphans in horrifying circumstances, as our story resumes.

* * *

"Put some elbow grease into it!"

Tadashi rolled his eyes at Alistar, swinging an ax at the log in the backyard. He leaned over to his brother, eyeing Alistar so that he wouldn't notice.

"Mr. Wasabi must have made a horrible mistake when he took us here," he whispered. "There's no way our parents would want us in Alistar Krei's care-if we can even call it that."

Hiro remained rather silent, clearly thinking about Tadashi's words in his head. Tadashi had been willing to give Alistar a second chance in the beginning, but ever since he had given his baby brother a black eye with the back of his hand, Tadashi had had enough. He was disgusted every time he saw Alistar, the image of him slapping Hiro playing on a loop in his head.

"As soon as Alistar Krei's head is turned," Hiro began, licking his lips and looking at the ground. "...we need to leave this house."

Tadashi stared at Hiro in concern, clearly not in favor of Hiro being in the streets.

"I'd rather take my chances on the streets than stay here any longer."

"Who knows what would happen to you on the streets, Hiro? At least we have a roof over our head."

"Ugh, I wish we could use Mom and Dad's fortune now instead of when you're twenty-one," Hiro said, picking his ax up and swinging at the wood again.

"That reminds me," Tadashi said suddenly, "do you think Alistar will let me enter in the SFIT showcase? I've always entered in it and won a cash prize, maybe he would let me...I'll need him to come on stage and sign my permission slip anyways, and we all know how much he likes attention."

"Tadashi...ask him! He will let you do it if there's money involved for sure."

"Hurry up, orphans," Alistar yelled from inside. "There's reupholstering to be done."

"Cass said her home was always open to us," Hiro added.

"And Wasabi did say we could contact him if we had any questions," Tadashi said hopefully.

"We don't have a question," said Hiro. "We have a complaint."

One of Krei's employees came outside, a cup of hot tea in his hand.

"May I offer you this tea?" the employee asked. "And also give you some atrocious news?"

"What is it?"

"It's that secretary-"

"Shh!" Alistar scolded. "Not here."

Alistar slammed the back door, leaving Tadashi and Hiro to stare at each other in confusion.

* * *

Tadashi and Hiro stood in front of Wasabi's desk, watching as he coughed violently into his handkerchief. Finally, he looked up at the Hamadas, clearing his throat.

"An emergency? Very well, but I'm quite busy. My old secretary, a distinguished professional, who showed up without fail for many years, has vanished. I've hired an unemployed artist with no prior experience who needs the occasional day off for his second job. Plus, I've already had to reschedule a haircut several times. What can I do for you?"

"Alistar Krei is a madman," said Hiro, feeling no sympathy for Wasabi. "We can't stay with him."

"He struck Hiro across the face," Tadashi added, grabbing Hiro's shoulder and pointing at his eye. "See his bruise?"

"I'm sorry you don't have a good first impression of him."

"He only provided us with one bed," Hiro snapped.

"He makes us do a great many difficult chores."

"Boys, everyone, at some point in their life, wishes they were being raised by people different than the ones who were raising you. When I was a little boy, I would have given my teeth to be raised by a businessman."

"He calls us orphans," Tadashi said.

"You are orphans," Wasabi mumbled.

"He has terrible associates."

"I have terrible associates," Wasabi shot back. "Boys, are you familiar with the term ' _in loco parentis_ '?"

"It sounds like Latin," Hiro said.

"Latin and legal," Wasabi confirmed. "' _In loco parentis_ ' means 'acting in the role of the parent.' It is a legal term and applies to Alistar Krei. And, as your legal guardian, Alistar Krei may raise you using any method he sees fit. So I'm sorry if your parents didn't make you do household chores, or if you like their associates more than Alistar Krei's, but there are certain things you must get used to."

Tadashi and Hiro gawked at Wasabi in shock and slight hatred, not sure how they would get it through to him that Alistar had physically abused Hiro.

"Unbelievable," Tadashi muttered.

"Now, I'm sorry if I have to usher you out posthaste, but I've got work to do. I'll have my new secretary give you a ride home as soon as he's finished typing up that report."

Said secretary walked in with those words, holding a small stack of papers and placing them on Wasabi's desk.

"That man works for Alistar!" Hiro said.

"He did say Alistar was one of his professional contacts. It was good seeing you, Hamadas!"

"We're not going back to Alistar's house! Look at Hiro's face!" Tadashi yelled, outraged that the only legal authority they could trust wasn't listening to them.

"Oh, no, no, no, orphans," the Krei Tech employee said with a smirk. "Look at mine."

* * *

Shall I let them off the hook?" the employee asked, his fists clenching the boys' shoulders. Krei sat at the dining room table, six cupcakes sitting in front of him. He waved them forward, the employee shoving them toward the table. He walked away with a sneer.

"I spent all morning making these cupcakes," Alistar said, looking down proudly at the pink desserts.

"Thank you," Tadashi and Hiro said in unison, completely aware of the fact that these cupcakes were store bought.

"Aren't raspberries delicious? They were my favorite berry when I was your age."

"But we're both different ages," Tadashi said.

"I want to talk to you about something," Alistar ignored the man, walking around the table to sit closer to the boys. "I recently received a call from Mr. Wasabi."

"Is that so?" Tadashi asked smugly. "I'm sorry Mr. Wasabi bothered you."

"I'm glad he did," Alistar chuckled. "Because I want you boys to feel more at home here now that I am your father. As you know, I have been working hard with my business associates, and I'm afraid I might have acted a bit standoffish."

The word "standoffish" is a beautiful one, but it does not describe Alistar Krei's behavior towards the children. Standoffishly refers to a person who, for various reasons is not associating with others. It is a word which might describe somebody who, during a party, might stand in a corner instead of talking to another person.

* * *

Honey Lemon had managed to take the tree off the ground, walking around with it tied to her back. She made it to a telephone booth, kicking the door down and dialing a number with her foot.

"Freddy? Honey Lemon here."

* * *

It would not describe somebody who provides one toddler-sized bed for two full-grown teenagers to sleep in, forces them to do horrible chores and strikes them across the face.

"Therefore," Alistar went on...

There are many words for people like that.

"...to make you feel a little more at home here..."

But "standoffish" is not one of them.

"...I want one of you to participate in the SFIT showcase."

"Wait-really?" Tadashi asked in disbelief, straightening up and looking Alistar seriously in the eyes. "Participate how?"

"Well, I practically run the showcase every year," Alistar scoffed. "I saw you present your health bot thing last year; I want you to win it again this year. The showcase will be this Friday and, lucky for you, we live only three miles from the campus, as you may have noticed. This will give you the opportunity to build anything you please of any shape or size. Hiro, I think it best that Tadashi present in the showcase. For...obvious reasons," Alistar sneered.

"Hey, don't-"

"I've contacted Cass." Alistar went on, ignoring Tadashi. "She's allowed you permission to use her garage for the purpose of inventing something that will blow us all away. You have two days, as you know, today is Wednesday. But...there is one thing you must know before you go next door."

Tadashi and Hiro looked at each other awkwardly.

"When I go on stage to sign your papers, I will be signing something else rather than the permission slips."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tadashi asked.

"None of your business!" Alistar sneered, pulling said paper out of his suit and thumb-tacking it to the wall. "All you have to do is sign on the dotted line! Now, go talk to the cook next door. I can't stand looking at you anymore..."

* * *

You think he was trying to poison us with those raspberries?" Tadashi asked with a chuckle.

"He ate them all," Hiro pointed out. "Besides, Alistar Krei is after the fortune we will inherit. Killing us will do him no good."

"What good would it do him for me to participate in the SFIT showcase, then?"

Hiro shrugged, opening the cafe door and waving at Cass, who was serving a customer some pastries.

"Hamadas! I'm so happy to see you. Are you here to use the garage? It's just down those steps."

They thanked her, rushing down the steps and immediately setting to work.

"So, what should I build?" Tadashi asked. However, before he could look at Hiro for an answer, he tilted his head in confusion at him, realizing Hiro was wearing his old neurotransmitter around his head.

"Hiro, what are you-?"

"Shh," Hiro said, his eyes closed and squinted. "Trying to concentrate."

A sudden rumbling made Tadashi back away from Hiro, gasping as thousands of tiny microbots filed into the garage. They toppled to the ground at the garage door, making Hiro nod in satisfaction.

"No need to build," Hiro said. "You can use these."

"Hiro...how did you do that?!"

"I've always carried my neurotransmitter around with me," Hiro shrugged. "My microbots are stowed away in our old storage unit. I thought, just in case, I could use them for things like this. I know, it's stupid-"

"Hiro, you're a genius!" Tadashi said in disbelief, rushing around to the microbots and running his hand through them. "These will work perfectly! Just a few modifications here and there...Oh, Hiro, _thank you!_ "

Hiro nodded with a grin, patting his brother on the back before walking over to one of Cass's computers and turning it on while Tadashi set to work on improving the microbots.

Hiro looked back at Tadashi cautiously, pulling a flash drive out of his pocket and plugging it into his computer.

From there, he googled "local ordinances."

* * *

When the boys got home that night, Tadashi had finished the microbots and separated them into bins, and Hiro had downloaded all the information he needed on dealing with financial security and family wills. At around bed time, Tadashi got into bed, watching as Hiro sat across the room reading a book.

"Hiro?"

"Hmm?"

"Where did you get that book?"

...

"Well, it's time for bed, knucklehead. Why don't you pause that book for another time-?"

"Not tired," Hiro said. Tadashi tilted his head at this but, nevertheless, laid down to go to sleep.

"Just go to sleep at some point," Tadashi said. "Love you."

"Love you too," Hiro said, squinting as he tried to read his book in the growing darkness. After Tadashi had fallen asleep, Hiro snuck out of the room, locking the door behind him.

 _Just in case Tadashi comes looking for me._

He tip-toed downstairs, making sure Alistar was asleep and making his way into the library, if you could even call it that. He sat under the light of a lamp, flipping through page after page of his book _The Law and You._

He snuck into the dining room after three hours of reading, snatching the paper Alistar had pinned to the wall and reading it closely.

"I, (insert name here) give my guardian and local bank teller full permission under my parent's will to allow Alistar Krei full access to all money saved away for my family and myself."

Hiro dropped the paper in disbelief, gasping and backing away. He was going to be sick...

After a few minutes of recollecting himself, he took the paper from the ground and ran back to the library.

Hiro did not read the book for his enjoyment, but to try to rescue Tadashi from a horrible predicament. The book was not at all impressive. The book was long and complicated. He found himself reading the same sentence over and over. By night's end, Hiro had found out all he needed to know. His hopes rose with the dawn. Although, unfortunately, so did Alistar Krei.

Hiro stormed over to the dining room table where Alistar sat drinking his tea. He slammed the law book down onto the table and glared at Alistar from across it. Krei only rolled his eyes.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in your room."

"I was in my room for most of the night," Hiro growled. "I know what you're up to."

"Me?" Alistar laughed. "I'm just having my morning coffee, although I can't seem to find the sugar bowl."

Hiro continued glaring at the man, opening his book and reading a passage.

"The only will transfer acquirements are a statement of active acquiescence by both participants, utilizing _in loco parentis_ is necessary, and the signing of an explanatory document in the eldest's hand."

"Let me give you a piece of advice," Alistar said. "If you use fancy-pants words first thing in the morning, you're going to end up a very lonely man."

"I figured out your scheme," Hiro scoffed. "You're not going to sign Tadashi's permission slip to join the school. You're going to make him sign a document immediately signing over our fortune. If my brother signs the piece of paper while Wasabi is in the room, which you've said he would be, he'll be giving away everything we have. It will be legally binding. You would have titular and practical control over any appropriate fiduciaries, resulting in aggregate financial dominion over any, well, finances."

"I don't think a boy your age ought to be using the word titular," Alistar snickered.

"I'm going to tell Tadashi," Hiro insisted, rushing out of the room only to be stopped by Alistar's businessmen.

"Sorry to interrupt, everyone, but that brave and talented boy with the horrible glasses has just figured out our dastardly plan."

The employees gasped in shock, scowling at the boy.

"Yes, thanks to his stupendous library book, the orphan has achieved a grand victory over our evil ways."

"Oh no!" the employees said sarcastically. Hiro panicked, escaping from their grasp and rushing up the stairs to reach Tadashi, when...

"Not so fast!" Alistar roared, chasing after him and covering his mouth, leading him to his so-called "secret tower room," where one of the Krei Tech employees awaited their arrival, smirking mischievously.

* * *

Tadashi woke with a start at the sound of Hiro screaming, sitting bolt upright and looking around the room.

"Hiro? Hiro?!"

Tadashi scrambled out of bed, jiggling the bedroom door only to find it locked. His heart began to beat faster and faster in panic, banging on the door and hoping for any sign of his little brother. Alistar Krei casually unlocked the door and strode in, smirking at Tadashi.

"Where is he?" Tadashi demanded, grabbing Krei by the collar. "Where's Hiro?!"

"Where is he indeed?" Alistar asked. "It certainly is so strange to find a teenage boy missing, and one so skinny, so helpless. When did you see him last?"

"What have you done with him?" Tadashi growled.

"Here, Hiro, Hiro! Where are ya? Did you hear that?" Krei asked, looking up at the roof. "It came from outside!"

Tadashi shoved Alistar out of his way, bolting down the steps and practically tearing the back door out of his way, running further out back and looking anywhere and everywhere.

"Hiro?" he called eagerly.

"Oh, you're not looking in the right place," Alistar smirked. "For a guy who invents and reads so much, you are remarkably unintelligent."

"He's not here," Tadashi muttered desperately, looking all over the ground for any sign of him.

"Oh, don't look so down," Alistar said in a fake pity voice. "I'd say things are looking up, up...up!"

Tadashi's eyes widened, snapping his head up and gasping in horror. Dangling not far from the roof was a large cage, Hiro tied up inside of it. He was unconscious, his black eye seemingly darker than before.

"LET HIM GO!" Tadashi roared, shoving Alistar's shoulder. "He's done NOTHING to you!"

"Well, if you want me to let him go, I will. But even a stupid man like you might realize that if I let him go, or more accurately, if I have my comrade let him go, Hiro might not survive the fall to the ground. That's a thirty-foot tower, which is a very long way for a minuscule person to fall, even when he's inside of a cage. But if you insist."

"No-DON'T!" Tadashi cried. "I'll do anything, anything, just...please. Don't hurt him."

"Anything? Anything? All this is for is to assure that you are for sure participating in the showcase."

"Of _course_ I am!" Tadashi yelled, throwing his arms in the air.

"Good! So, you'll do exactly as I say to avoid the punishment of the loss of your brother."

"Yes, of course, now _please_ let him go-"

"No, no, Tadashi, Hiro will remain in the tower room for safe keeping, that is all."

"You're a terrible man," Tadashi spat at him, glaring at him more threateningly than ever.

"I may be a terrible person, but I have concocted a foolproof way of getting your fortune. What have _you_ done?"

Tadashi stuttered, watching Krei go back inside and slam the doors behind him. Tadashi fell to his knees weakly, looking up at the cage once more. Hiro was still unconscious, completely motionless. Tadashi unsnapped his ball cap from his belt loop and placed it securely on his head, looking down and his hands in shame.

 _This is ALL your fault._

* * *

Honey Lemon walked alone in the underground sewers of San Fransokyo, the tree still tied around her as she trudged on tiredly. She stopped at a four corner turn, sighing in exhaustion.

"I wish I had an inventor here," she mumbled.

"I was thinking the same thing."

Honey Lemon gasped, turning around to see a man holding a wrench standing where she had just come from.

"Freddy?" she asked quietly, her voice echoing throughout the sewer tunnels. The man nodded.

"Honey Lemon."

"You came."

"You sent for me."

"Things are disastrous," Honey Lemon sighed. "Everything's gone wrong."

"I thought so," said Fred. "Dr. Lee and I were expecting the Hamada boys days ago. Dr. Lee is supposed to be their new guardian. That's what the Hamada parents wanted, in case of fire. What went wrong? Why haven't we seen them?"

"Mr. Wasabi listened to the advice of a consultant," Honey Lemon sneered in anger.

"A consultant?" Fred asked baffled. "Dear god. Why would anyone listen to a consultant?"

"Are you free Friday night to attend a campus showcase?" Honey Lemon asked. "We might be able to get things back on track without drawing attention to ourselves."

"Of course," Fred smiled. "But what should we do until then?"

"Could you cut these ropes for me?"

Fred nodded, pulling out a pair of scissors and beginning to cut through the thick rope.

"The boys must be so frightened."

"We're all frightened, Freddy."

* * *

 _Hiro must be TERRIFIED._

Tadashi watched Hiro's cage from their bedroom window, too scared to take his eyes off of it. Although Hiro was still unconscious, there was no missing the frightened look on his face. He hardly moved, which made Tadashi even more scared than before.

 _When was the last time he ate? He didn't sleep last night..._

"Alright, Hiro," Tadashi whispered to himself, touching the window of his bedroom. "You stayed up all last night trying to find out Alistar's plot. It's my turn."

A tear went down Tadashi's cheek as memories flooded over him from when he was younger when his parents brought Hiro home for the first time. Hiro had cried in everyone's arms, but in Tadashi's, he laughed.

"Mom and Dad made me promise to look after you. I'm gonna keep that promise."

With that, Tadashi stood, raced next door to Cass's cafe, and grabbed his neurotransmitter.

Having a brilliant idea isn't as easy as turning on a light. But just as a single bulb can illuminate even the most desperate of rooms, the right idea can shed light on a depressing situation. For Tadashi, that brilliant idea was gathering Hiro's microbots to reach Hiro's cage, an idea he'd scolded himself for not thinking of sooner. After retrieving said microbots, Tadashi rushed to the backyard, the miniature bots following him the whole way. He looked up at Hiro's swaying cage, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"'The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious,'" Tadashi quoted Hiro as the microbots slowly entangled themselves around Tadashi's waist and lifted him up off the ground. "'It is the source of all true art and science."

When Tadashi reach the top, he whirled around to face Hiro. He gently shook the cage to wake him up.

"Hiro?" he whispered. "It's me, Tadashi. Wake up."

Hiro woke with a stir, furrowing his brow at Tadashi.

"Tadashi...?" Hiro asked quietly. His voice sounded as rough as sandpaper, making Tadashi wince, and his eye was horribly bruised.

"Hiro, I'm gonna get you out of there, but you have to listen," Tadashi said. "What did you find out about Alistar this morning that made him so angry as to lock you up in here?"

Hiro's eyes widened at the question, lifting his chained hands towards the bars.

"Tadashi, don't sign that paper tomorrow at the showcase," Hiro begged. "You'll be signing over our fortune."

"What?!"

"Just listen, avoid signing it, tell Mr. Wasabi, do _something,_ but DON'T sign that document."

"Hiro, if I don't sign it, Alistar is going to make one of his associates drop this cage and you'll _die_. There has to be another way."

"There isn't," Hiro said. "Don't sign it. I have a plan, I won't die."

"All it takes is one click of a button-"

"Tadashi. Don't sign it."

Suddenly, the Krei tech employee that was guarding Hiro's cage knocked Tadashi's neurotransmitter off of his head, making the microbots tumble to the ground. Tadashi grabbed the long metal bar extending out to Hiro's cage just in time.

"Tadashi!" Hiro cried, coughing violently afterward. "Tadashi-"

"How pleasant that you could join us," the employee smirked, yanking Tadashi into the tower by his shirt.

"What are you gonna do with me?" Tadashi snarled.

"I said have a seat!" the employee yelled.

"No, you didn't."

The man started toward the cage button angrily, making Tadashi put his hands up and sit down in the chair across from the window. The employee grabbed his phone and dialed Alistar.

" _Hello_?"

"Boss, it's me."

" _Who? Be specific._ "

"Me. Your employee. With the blonde hair."

" _What do you want?_ "

"Your eldest son just came outside to try and save the intelligent kid in the cage."

" _Well, how'd he do that?_ "

"It was some sort of huge robot that helped him climb up to the kid."

"They were microbots," Tadashi corrected him.

"He says they were microbots."

" _Stay there, I'll be right up._ "

"Okay," the businessman said, tossing the phone aside and returning to his previous glare.

"Alistar Krei is very displeased with you," he growled.

"Whatever," Tadashi sighed.

At that, Alistar came up the steps to the tower, anger tracing every feature of him.

"You know, some people say that the hardest job in the world is raising a teenager. But it is nothing compared to the work that goes behind putting on a college level showcase for the purposes of stealing your dead parents' fortune. It's a very difficult job, and I will not have any orphans mucking it up."

"You'll never touch our fortune," Tadashi said.

"Tadashi..." Alistar hissed, walking over to the cage button and placing his hand gently above it. "I'll touch whatever I want."

Tadashi said nothing, watching as Alistar and the Krei Tech employee left the tower. He raced back to the tower window, throwing it open and making sure Hiro was okay.

"Hiro, it's gonna be okay, just hang in there," Tadashi said reassuringly.

"Seriously?" Hiro scoffed. "'Hang in there'? Nice one, 'Dashi."

"I didn't mean it as a joke," Tadashi scolded.

I am certain that over the course of your own life, you have noticed that certain rooms reflect the personalities of the occupants. For instance, Alistar Krei's secret tower room was dark, cold, and dirty. The Hamada mansion was clean, warm, and bright. My own office holds precious memories from my past years and it overlooks the SFIT campus. Hiro's cage, however, would not make a good home for him, and Tadashi knew that. Home was where the other brother was when it came to the Hamadas, and Tadashi would stop at nothing to get his brother out of that god-awful cage.

"Tadashi, whatever you do, _don't_ sign the document, do you hear me?" Hiro shouted. Tadashi looked out the window in uncertainty.

"Hiro, you should probably get some rest," Tadashi insisted.

"I've had plenty," said Hiro. "But you do need rest. Now, lay down and sleep while I come up with a plan."

Tadashi, again, said nothing, laying down in front of the window to watch his brother think.

* * *

"Rise and shine!"

Tadashi opened his eyes slowly, looking around for the source of the loud noise. Alistar was standing next to one of his employees, both dressed in their best suits.

"What...?" Tadashi asked, sitting up from where he had fallen asleep.

"You've been sleeping for hours," Alistar replied. "It's time for the showcase!"

Tadashi's eyes widened, looking at his watch.

 _Had he slept for almost a whole day?!_

Tadashi looked out the window, Hiro still there dangling thirty feet above the ground.

Tadashi's uneasiness grew.

"My colleague here," Alistar gestured to the man that had stayed with Tadashi in the tower last night, "will be staying with your brother and will be in constant contact with me, just in case you do something I don't much like. Anything seems off, Hiro dies."

Tadashi gulped, looking outside at Hiro one last time before they left for SFIT.

"I've also done the liberty of gathering your microbots and transmitter out front," Alistar smirked, straightening his collar and gesturing Tadashi forward. "Now, shall we?"

* * *

"I won't lie, I had my doubts about Alistar Krei when I first met him," Wasabi told Eleanora while they waited for the showcase to start. "But now that I see that Alistar has put Tadashi in the SFIT showcase this year, all my anxiety is put to rest."

Eleanora smiled at him, kissing his cheek and hugging him.

Meanwhile, backstage, Tadashi got shoved in the wings of the stage by one of Krei's employees.

"You'll stay here until your name is called," the man said simply, going back out to the crowd.

Tadashi waited eagerly, looking out of the large windows of the building and watching Hiro's cage sway with the wind.

It wasn't long until Tadashi's name was called, and when he went out, Alistar followed him, a clipboard in his hand.

"I, Alistar Krei, have given permission to my son to participate in this showcase," Krei said with a smirk, signing the clipboard swiftly.

He handed it to Tadashi, his smirk transforming into a thin line as he glared at Tadashi. Tadashi grabbed the pen with a shaky hand, signing his name on the dotted line.

Alistar chuckled happily, wide eyes staring at the signature in disbelief. The people in the crowd looked at each other awkwardly as the man laughed on stage. Honey Lemon and Fred grew uncomfortable, Wasabi grew suspicious, and Cass grew concerned.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Alistar laughed. "I'd like to make an announcement. There is no need to continue with Tadashi's performance. For its purpose has been served. This paper is not a permission slip. No, it is a _legal document_ signing over the Hamada fortune...to me!"

"Impossible!" Wasabi scoffed. "You couldn't have done it without me in the room-oh, wait..."

"It's the law of the land," Alistar laughed more. Tadashi, angered clouding all senses, stormed up to Alistar, fists clenched.

"But 'the law of the land' says I have to sign the document with my hand-my writing hand-my right hand."

"And that you did, son," Alistar said.

"No," Tadashi started, his breathing getting heavier and shakier. "No, I-I signed it with my left."

"Very funny, Tadashi, but that's not how it works," Alistar patted his shoulder. Tadashi swiped it off. "Nevermind-now, let Hiro go!"

"Where is Hiro?" Cass asked from the crowd. Alistar snickered.

"I'm afraid he's a bit 'tied-up' at the moment if you'll forgive my little joke," Alistar tried to keep back his laughing at his humor.

Tadashi, however, wasn't laughing.

"You PROMISED! You promised you would let him go!"

Cass began walking up to the stage in concern.

"Oh, and what kind of father would I be if I didn't keep my promises?" Alistar asked, reaching up to touch Tadashi's face.

Cass arrived in time to swat it away.

"You're a terrible man!" she cried.

Alistar sneered nonetheless, grabbing his phone and dialing a number.

"Drop the boy to his death," he commanded into the phone.

"NO!" Tadashi cried, dropping to his knees in terror.

Suddenly, the back door of the showcase building burst open, the Krei Tech employee that was guarding Hiro's tower running in with Hiro is his arms.

"The kid had a spare transmitter in his pocket!" yelled the employee. "Used those bots to swat the cage button and he landed on 'em! I stopped him just in time, boss-"

"You idiot!" Alistar scolded, looking over where the microbots were to find the bins empty.

"Hiro!" Tadashi exclaimed, relief flooding over him. He yanked Hiro out of the man's arms and pulled his brother into a bone-crushing hug.

"Come now, Tadashi," Alistar muttered. "I'll have my employees shoot Hiro later, now it's time to go celebrate our fortune!"

"No," Tadashi growled, holding onto Hiro tighter as he stood. "I already told you-I didn't sign the document in my own hand, as the law states."

"Don't lie to me, orphan! Everyone saw you!"

"But I'm right-handed," Tadashi objected. "I signed the document with my left hand."

"Well, that doesn't count," Alistar scoffed. "You're just trying to be a sore loser and ruin my special day."

"With all due respect, I think we ought to ask Mr. Wasabi if he knows."

All eyes were on the bank teller, making the man shrink into his shoulders.

"Erhm-that's right! That's right. I'm a bank teller. Let me think."

Nobody spoke as Wasabi tapped his chin repeatedly in thought. After what felt like hours, he took a deep breath, and...

"...I don't know."

The crowd roared in annoyance at Wasabi, making him shrink into his shoulders even further.

"You should never be afraid to admit that you don't know something! This is a very complicated case! It would take a formidable legal scholar to solve it!"

As if on cue, Hiro untangled himself from Tadashi, stepping forward and clearing his throat.

"May I have a blackboard, please?" he spoke hoarsely. Someone immediately rolled one onto the stage after his request.

Tadashi held his breath.

"In the respected legal tome, _The Law and You_ , John Locke's 1960s groundbreaking work is cited, postulating that the law of the land rests on..."

As you can well imagine, Hiro's legal argument had all the apocryphal insight of Thurgood Marshall, and the moral aplomb of Ida B. Wells, a phrase which here means it was thoroughly impressive and utterly convincing.

"...and so, as Martin Luther King said, 'Morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can resist the heartless.'"

"Ah!" Wasabi cheered from the crowd. "That moral argument! It was thoroughly impressive and utterly convincing. I am happy to say that because Tadashi, who is right-handed, signed the document with her left hand, the bank transaction is invalid."

The audience roared in applause, Honey Lemon and Fred completely overjoyed at the news.

"Well, I may not have your fortune, but you are still my son!" Alistar fought back, making some of the audience members laugh.

"Do you honestly believe that I will allow you to continue to care for these three children after the treachery I've seen here tonight?" Wasabi cried. "I'm even considering firing your associate as my secretary."

"Hear, hear!" Honey Lemon waved at Wasabi from the crowd.

"Aiko?" Wasabi gasped. "Is that you? Where have you been?!"

"I was kidnapped by Alistar's associates and tied to a tree before I could tell you that the Hamada's parents wanted the boys to stay with their close friend Dr. Lee. He was designated as their legal guardian and has been waiting to hear from you."

"Dr. Lee?" asked Tadashi, who was rubbing his brother's head in pride. "I've never heard of him."

"Well, you are hereby rehired as my secretary with an 8% increase in salary!" Wasabi smiled. "The Hamadas will be sent with a suitable guardian, and this series of unfortunate events has come to a close!"

The crowd cheered in victory, throwing their hats and their programs.

"As for you, Alistar Krei..."

Suddenly, a woman screamed from the side of the building, making the audience gasp in horror. One of the Krei Tech employees had started a fire in the showcase hall, and shortly after, turned the power out.

"Everyone out!" Fred yelled, leading the crowd out of the doorway. Tadashi grabbed Hiro's hand and lead him to the door, only to have it ripped out of his hand seconds later.

Tadashi whipped around just in time to see Alistar dragging Hiro away from Tadashi.

"No! Hiro!"

Hiro gasped as Alistar grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the wall, leaning in and whispering in his ear.

"I'll get your fortune from you if it's the last thing I do!" Alistar spat in his ear. "And when I do, I'm gonna tear you and your brother limb from limb..."

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY BROTHER!" Tadashi roared, throwing Alistar off and throwing Hiro's unconscious form over his shoulders.

Once they were outside, Cass ran up to the boys crying and pulled them into a hug.

"Boys! Quick, let's forget about this whole place and you can come live with me!" she sobbed. Tadashi nodded happily, hugging her back.

"I'm afraid not, Miss Cass," Fred said from behind her.

"Yes," Honey Lemon sighed sadly, "there's a vigorously fixed destination your parents had in mind for you, and it is not with Alistar Krei or Cassandra."

"Alistar Krei has escaped!" someone shouted. The Hamada boys were suddenly ripped away from Cass, Honey Lemon, and Fred. Wasabi lead the boys to an ambulance before immediately loading them into his car and driving towards their vigorously fixed destination.

Cass, however, couldn't help noticing a trap door-like hatch on the ground near the grass, making her tilt her head in confusion.

Had Alistar and his associates gone through there?

* * *

"Where are we going now, boss?" a Krei Tech associate asked, hot on Alistar's heels in the sewer they had escaped to.

"Where?" Alistar snarled. "To a vigorously fixed destination."

And with that, Alistar and his employees were running off, plotting their next revenge plan and laughing menacingly.

* * *

"Freddy, have the Hamadas arrived at Dr. Lee's?" Honey Lemon asked on the phone. She was currently hiding out in the sewers after taking Cass's lead on where Alistar might have escaped to. Where they had gone, she had a hunch. "Repeat, have the Hamadas arrived at Dr. Lee's?"

"Not yet," Fred sighed. "But I'm literally standing on the edge of a pond, and-ow!"

Fred, on the other line, gasped quietly as a poisonous dart flew to his neck, shooting his head back. He groaned in pain and rubbed the spot that had hit him.

"I have a lead on the missing parents. They're alive, but they've been-"

"The world is quiet here," Fred whispered into the phone before falling backward into the pond.

Dead.

"Fred?" Honey Lemon asked in fear. " _Freddy?!_ "

* * *

Cass sat sadly on her bed, hugging her book _Adoption Law and You_ tightly in her arms. After crying for twenty more minutes, she trudged down the stairs, opened the garage door, and placed it back inside of an old box, placing it underneath all of her personal belongings.

For a while, all she did was sit there staring at it.

* * *

The Hamadas did not understand why they were now off toward an unknown relative instead of living with Cass. But as with so many unfortunate events in life, just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean it isn't so. It seemed to the boys that they were moving in an aberrant, a word which here means "very, very wrong, and causing much grief," direction.

* * *

"Things are worse than we thought."

The woman sighed at her husband as she sewed herself a blanket in the cold prison cell.

"Things almost always are."

"Every moment the kids are without us drags them deeper into danger," the husband argued.

"Then we don't have a moment to lose," the woman mumbled in concentration. The man leaned over in further inspection to see that his wife was indeed not sewing a blanket.

"What's a woman like you building in a place like this?"

"Microbots," she grinned. "I never leave home without my transmitter. You?"

"Leave no stone unturned," the man grinned, dusting off the ground to reveal a secret passageway door, a Krei Tech "K" printed on it.


	3. The Microbot Mansion

**read author's note at the end.**

* * *

 **For Beatrice-**

 **My love for you shall live forever.**

 **You, however, did not.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE  
** **THE MICROBOT MANSION**

My name is Robert Callaghan, and it is my sworn duty to carefully research the dire plight of the Hamada orphans. But there is no reason to make yourself as miserable and melancholy as I am. If I were you, I would look away before reading any of these horrifying events that compromise this ghastly new chapter in the Hamada's horrible lives. Here, Tadashi and Hiro go to live with their uncle, Mr. Lee. These boys have no recollection of ever meeting or even discussing their uncle, so they both sit anxiously in the vehicle as Wasabi beams with delight.

"It's a brand-new episode in your lives, Hamadas," Wasabi laughed lightly. "In a few minutes, you'll be meeting your uncle! He apparently should have been your guardian all along, but-erhm-let's not get into that, now, shall we? I think it was a mistake from the beginning to let a stranger into my office, convince me into giving him full custody, and in doing so accidentally allowing him to abuse you and gag your brother. How silly of me!"

"My brother and I full-heartedly agree," Tadashi said with a breath of relief.

The Hamada orphans more than full-heartedly agreed, and living with Alistar Krei had been more than a mistake. It had been a disaster. It had been a catastrophe. One that, to Tadashi's horror, had nearly killed his brother. The worst part was that Alistar Krei was still at large, nowhere to be found. Tadashi's uneasiness grew by the second every time he was reminded of this horrible fact.

"By the way, the police tell me they feel very confident that Alistar Krei will be caught in no time at all. Ah, here's the turn."

Beauregard Lane was one of the most beautiful roads in the world. The water surrounding San Fransokyo glistened in the golden sun, and the large orchard of trees lined up along the road had the freshest, most colorful apples either of the teenagers had ever seen.

"We're here!" Wasabi cheered excitedly, pulling into a large gate that led into a large mansion. The curb leading up to the driveway was covered in topiaries, and Hiro couldn't help but tilt his head in surprise.

"Tadashi," Hiro pointed out the window. "Are-are those microbot topiaries?"

Tadashi leaned towards the window and also gasped in surprise. The topiaries were all microbots, some forming shapes or buildings and others just forming ordinary microbot statues.

"Wow..." Tadashi whispered in awe at the landscape, turning his attention back to the house. Wasabi had pulled up to the front and shut the car off. He took on step out of the car and breathed in the crisp, fresh air of the ocean and the apple trees.

"Come along now, Tadashi, Hiro."

The boys complied, slowly climbing out of the car and taking in the vast mansion and everything that surrounded it. The mansion was mainly marble, and the tall columns supporting the front were also shaped as microbots. Wasabi gasped in awe as he walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. Before the door opened, a question popped into Tadashi's head, and he lightly tapped Wasabi's shoulder.

"Erhm-what do we call him?"

"You can call him Dr. Lee," Wasabi said. "Unless he asks you to call him by his first name, in which case you'll call him Stan."

"His name is Stan Lee?" Hiro asked.

"Yes, yes," Wasabi replied. "He says it's unique."

"I hope Dr. Lee is a decent person," Tadashi said. He glanced over at Hiro, who had suddenly begun rubbing his black eye. He said nothing at Tadashi's hopeful remark.

The door opened, and a man in his 40s greeted the three. He had white tufts of hair that stuck out on the sides of his head but had no hair on the top. He had large, square glasses, and wore a blue suit with a red tie. He held a tray of cakes and smiled warmly at Tadashi and Hiro.

"Hello, hello, hello!" Dr. Lee greeted them. "You must be the Hamadas."

"Yes," Wasabi nodded.

"Well, this is perfect timing because I have just finished frosting this delicious coconut cream cake," Dr. Lee grinned, shoving a plate in Tadashi's hands and taking a fork out of his front pocket.

"Erhm-nice to meet you, Dr. Lee," Tadashi nodded in respect.

"Oh, please, call me Stan, or Stan Lee. I don't like using fancy titles unless they get me a discount to the movies. Did you guys ever like going to the movies?"

"Well...Yes, but our parents hardly took us," Tadashi replied.

"Well, we are going to go a lot," Stan Lee laughed. "To some paramount and extraordinary films. I'm a real knack for superhero movies. Who's your favorite superhero?"

Tadashi got the feeling he was being interrogated and understood what kind of conversation this was immediately.

"Captain America," Tadashi replied with a raised eyebrow. "Brains and muscle."

"And you, Hiro?"

"Spider-man," Hiro replied, making Tadashi roll his eyes. "Coolness."

Stan Lee laughed and shook Hiro's hand, eyeing Hiro's bruised face in displeasure. He shook off the sadness.

"Those were a few of your parent's favorites, too. Well, let's not stand here, come inside!"

He led Wasabi, Tadashi, and Hiro into the house, Tadashi still holding the uneaten piece of cake and Hiro still hovering his hand over his bruise. They again gasped in awe at the incredibly tall ceilings and valuable paintings on the walls.

"Now you must be Tadashi, the inventor," Stan Lee guessed. "And you are Hiro, the reader _and_ inventor. Your parents were always proud of how smart you two were."

Stan Lee handed Hiro a slice of cake and a fork, making Hiro laugh nervously as he awkwardly held the plate.

"Well, that leaves one extra slice of cake," Stan Lee hummed. "I know, I'll eat it myself."

...

"Just kidding, just kidding!" Stan Lee laughed. "Mr. Wasabi of Mulctuary Money Management, you are welcome to a slice of cake."

"No, I should be getting back to the bank soon," Wasabi shook his head graciously at the man as he nodded in understanding and took a bite of the cake. "Hamadas, if you need me, you can always reach me-"

"They won't need anything from you, Mr. Wasabi," Stan assured him. "They're finally in my care, and I will dedicate myself to their safety, comfort, and happiness as enthusiastically."

"Our parents' fortune can't be used until Tadashi is twenty-one," Hiro spoke up, stepping slightly in front of Tadashi.

"Hiro, don't be rude," Wasabi scolded. "Though, legally, he's correct about the fortune."

"I don't give a fig about the Hamada fortune, Mr. Wasabi," Stan Lee said with a wave of his hand. Hiro tilted his head, and Tadashi couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "What with my savings from my past years working and inventing. But, as a scientist...I do admire your skepticism, Hiro. It's understandable after what you've been through. I saw it all on the news. Not to worry, nothing of the sort will ever happen to you again, Hiro. I promise."

Hiro smiled softly and nodded in thanks at Stan.

"Ah," Wasabi grimaced. "That unpleasantness with Krei. I think I'll see myself out now, Dr. Lee."

"Capital idea," Stan grinned opening the door for the man.

"Bye, Mr. Wasabi," Tadashi waved. Hiro waved too, but not as enthusiastically. He never entirely trusted the bank teller.

"Bye, boys," Wasabi waved. Stan shut the door and chuckled under his breath.

"I'm terribly sorry if I was rude to him, boys, but, frankly, that man is not to be trusted. 'Unpleasantness with Krei,' he says, when Mr. Wasabi is the very reason you were put with Alistar Krei in the first place. Well, not to worry. You're finally safe now. Just as your parents wanted."

The boys smiled graciously at their uncle.

"Dr. Lee-"

"Stan," the scientist corrected Tadashi. He nodded.

"Stan-"

"Uncle Stan, I hope, once you get used to me," Stan added again.

"Uncle Stan, our parents never mentioned you," Tadashi said.

"Really?"

"Really," Hiro replied.

"Dr. Stan Lee? Renowned super-I mean-scientist?"

"Nope," Tadashi sighed.

"Hmm. That is astonishing," Stan inquired. He snapped excitedly and began to walk up the stairs. "Follow me!"

The boys looked at each other and shrugged but followed him nonetheless.

"Now, your parents and I practically grew up together," Stan continued. "I can't believe your parents never told you about me. I loved them dearly. Look, here's a picture of us together," He smiled as they passed a photo hanging on the wall. In it was who they assumed to be a younger Stan and their parents; a small red-headed girl with large, hazel eyes and a black haired boy, who Hiro could've sworn was Tadashi.

"Well, it seems that some proper introductions need to be made. Are you boys familiar with the field of robotics? Microbots to be specific?"

Hiro nodded, and Tadashi nudged his shoulder. Stan frowned slightly in confusion, but Hiro clarified.

"I've made plenty of microbots before. They're my trademark."

Stan Lee's eyes widened in pleasure.

"Really? Well, I create many different colored microbots and have even programmed some of them to have certain protocols if ever touched. Oh, and don't worry about your cake dishes, leave them anywhere. Heathcliffe or Fred will wash them up. Uh, Fred!" Stan called, looking off the railing. "Oh, drat!"

"What?"

"I forgot all about Fred. He's my son and has worked for me as my assistant for many years. He left me a strange letter last night on my front porch that he needed to take care of something. I just hope he's all right. No matter. Who needs an assistant when I have an intelligent young man right here to help me?" he asked, putting his hand on Hiro's shoulder as they made their way downstairs. He took their plates of uneaten cake and placed them on a table in the foyer before leading them somewhere else.

Hiro and Tadashi had a feeling they were going to like growing up here.

"Now, Hamadas, I am about to show you one of the most important scientific collections in the history of the world. Spies and rivals in the world of robotics would do anything to get a glimpse inside of this room."

He led them down a hidden hallway in the foyer, the end shining a light on a door with several gears and pulleys on it.

"This door has been installed with a top-of-the-line security system," he joked, simply going past all of the combinations and twisting the doorknob. He threw the door open and grinned as he jumped inside of the room. "This is my Microbot Mansion."

Tadashi and Hiro gasped as they walked inside. Several cages were in that great room, each one containing a different colored blob of microbots. The sound of clicking filled the echoing room, and Stan Lee may as well have been flying he was so excited.

"Over here! This is the lifting wing," he led them to the right side of the room. Some microbots had twenty-pound weights in their cages and continued lifting them up and down by wrapping their many miniature bots around the weight and lifting them to the top of their cage. Others raised their cages altogether. Each one was a different color of the rainbow. "Under my ear, I have these transmitters," Stan clarified, lifting up tufts of hair to reveal several small little dots on the side of his head, each one a different color. After a while, they begin doing whatever it is they please with hardly any of my help! Now, over here to the shape-shifting wing," he led them to the left side of the room where several more cages contained more blobs of microbots. When they drew nearer, some transformed into animal shapes, while others turned into different statues. Stan Lee laughed at their attempts to camouflage.

"And now, to my most prized possession!" Stan Lee led the boys over to the largest cage there, covered in a large sheet. "These set of microbots are so advanced; they don't need a transmitter. They move as they please! Everyone said it would be dangerous, but I showed them!" he grinned, unveiling the sheet in pure joy. Tadashi and Hiro nodded, impressed by the microbots. Hiro was far more fascinated, not to mention that the microbots he had just shown them were his favorite color, purple. They moved slowly as if they were circling their prey in some fashion. It alarmed Tadashi, who lightly touched Hiro's shoulder and nudged Hiro back a few steps.

"I discovered them, so I got to name them," Stan Lee said.

"What are they called?" Tadashi asked.

"The Incredibly Deadly Microbots."

As if on cue, the microbots ripped the cage open and lunged-

One thing that I have found is that when the story of the Hamadas becomes too upsetting for me, when it becomes absolutely overwhelming, it is useful to stop for a moment of contemplation with a cup of tea or some potent beverage. However, I can sip my tea knowing that Hiro Hamada absolutely survives this particular incident. It is Dr. Lee, however, who ends up dead, although not yet. Apologies for the interruption.

-lunged at Hiro, causing him to freeze in place as they swallowed him whole until his figure was nothing more than a purple blob of microbots. The blob fell to the ground with a thud and lay there completely still. Stan Lee laughed.

Tadashi couldn't breathe he was so terrified.

"Wha-I-HIRO!" Tadashi cried, kneeling down next to the blob in horror. He whipped his head up at Stan Lee, watching him laugh in utter confusion. "Uncle Stan, please! DO SOMETHING!"

"I'm terribly sorry, Tadashi!" Stan continued laughing as he bent down with Tadashi. He wiped his eyes as tears of laughter poured down his red face, and he took out a purple dot from his pocket, placing it under his other ear. "The incredibly deadly microbots are some of the most undeadly microbots in the world! It may sound strange, but they cannot suffocate nor can they crush someone to death, my dear nephew," he continued chuckling as he ordered the microbots to untangle themselves from Hiro's small form and go back into their cage. Hiro sat up in confusion, not injured or scared in the very least. He looked over at a terrified Tadashi with a tilted head.

"They can cause memory loss, though," Stan added. "They've got a quite toxic smell, those bots." Stan stood and locked the cage again, turning back to the boys and clapping his hands together. "All right, Hiro?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Hiro asked in confusion, looking down at his hands to make sure he really was alright. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Tadashi spoke quickly, feeling stupid for being so scared but nevertheless patting Hiro on the shoulder in relief.

"Hiro will come to no harm," Stan Lee assured Tadashi. "And neither will you, Tadashi."

"But they're called the incredibly deadly microbots," Tadashi said with a shaky voice.

"Yes, just a little joke to get back at those science judges. This'll show them," Stan nodded in satisfaction.

"Are there any microbots in this room that are dangerous?"

"Well, of course," Stan said. "You can't study microbots and find some that are not dangerous. In fact, the incredibly dangerous microbots are the only safe microbots in this whole room. Which leads me to my favorite part of this chamber."

Stan walked over to a painting of himself and who the boys assumed to be his son, Fred. He touched the side of the picture, and it unveiled a room made entirely of shelves, said shelves covered in books.

"The deepest secrets of the robotics world can be found in this room," Stan said with a sigh of glee.

"So we're allowed to read all of them?" Hiro asked, walking around the room and running his hand over the books.

"You are not only allowed, but you are also implored to read these books," Stan corrected him. Hiro chuckled.

Tadashi couldn't help looking on at the scene and be reminded of his father. Tadashi was skeptical of Stan Lee at first-especially five minutes ago when he watched Hiro stare death in the face-but he was now sure that this would be the perfect home for him and his brother.

"You know," Stan Lee continued, "I always wanted to have more kids around the house. But...time flies like a swarm of microbots scaling a skyscraper. I know that a few dangerous robots can make you skeptical of this place. But if you give me a chance, if you can tell the bad from the good..."

Stan picked up a jar of microbots from a shelf and set them loose. The small blob scaled Hiro's side and entangled themselves around Hiro's hand. He smiled happily as he watched them dance on his knuckles.

"...no harm will come to you in my mansion," Stan finished.

There is a type of situation which occurs all too often in the Hamadas story called dramatic irony. Simply put, dramatic irony is when a person makes a remark, and someone who hears it knows something, which makes the remark have a different, usually unpleasant, meaning. For example, if I were to say "I can't wait to eat this almond cookie," but there were people around who knew the almond cookie was poisoned, that would be dramatic irony. For that reason, when we hear Uncle Stan tell the children "No harm will come to you in my mansion," we should be on guard for the arrival of dramatic irony.

* * *

"Microbots can't speak English, you know."

Tadashi shook his head with a laugh as Hiro examined the Incredibly Deadly Microbots, scolding him again for trying to communicate with them. They had been with Stan Lee for two whole days, and they were nothing but pure bliss. For once, Tadashi's mind wasn't wandering to horrible places such as his parents' graves or his destroyed house. He felt strangely at home. Hiro seemed to feel the same. Stan had bought the boys clothes while he waited for their arrival the past week-the arrival that was delayed due to a mix up with Alistar Krei-and Tadashi and Hiro couldn't have been happier. Come to think of it; they hadn't changed since the day their parents died. Horrified at the thought, they took the clothes gratefully. Tadashi got cardigans (how'd Stan know they were his favorite?), t-shirts, brown jeans, and a new pair of minty-green converse (again, how?). For Hiro, he got a pile of t-shirts too big for him, which he accepted nonetheless-he was used to being too small to fit into anything-long sleeved shirts to go under them, a red hoodie, and lots of shorts, also slightly large. He also got a new pair of converse; purple and black.

The boys had spent most of their time in the Microbot Room. Tadashi tinkered with parts from Stan Lee's workshop while Hiro read books and explored the deeper parts of the room.

"I know," Hiro sighed. "I just like talking to them."

"Honestly, I wish Stan would have covered those up," Tadashi admitted. Hiro frowned in confusion.

"Why, 'Dashi?"

"If you'd have seen what they did to you, you would want them covered up too," Tadashi shuttered at the thought; that was one of the many most terrifying moments of his life.

"You need to get over yourself," Hiro said with a shake of his head. "I know how you feel, though."

"What are you talking about?" Tadashi asked.

"To be scared," Hiro replied, hardly above a whisper. The tone he took, the way he mumbled those words, Tadashi didn't like it.

"Are you scared now?"

Tadashi had known Hiro for fifteen years. If Hiro had to voice his opinion, he wouldn't. If he had an injury, he'd hide it until it became so bad he couldn't function. If he were sick, he wouldn't say until he passed out one day and was rushed to the hospital. He had always been desperately independent, so when he replied to Tadashi's question, Tadashi was not surprised in the slightest.

"I'm not scared," Hiro insisted, standing up and pulling the tarp over the large cage with the rope attached to it. He hugged his small frame, staring at the covered cage in silence.

Tadashi watched him cautiously from a distance, taking careful, slow steps toward him.

"I'm just tired," Hiro admitted weakly. Tadashi's eyes widened. He sounded so broken. Where was this coming from? Come to think of it, Hiro hadn't had anything to say about his parents' death, nor had he had anything to say about being abused by a millionaire scientist. He was probably right to be tired.

"Tired?" Tadashi croaked. He wasn't sure what to say. Hiro straightened up, as if remembering who he was, and shook his head once more, turning around to face Tadashi.

"Nevermind," he said, going around many cages of microbots and walking out of the room. Hiro ran into Stan Lee on his way up to his room.

"Sorry, Uncle Stan," Hiro laughed awkwardly. "Didn't see you there."

"Not a problem!" Stan said with a wave of his hand. "I was just on my way out."

"Where are you going?" Hiro asked, tilting his head.

"Well, I'm going to pick up a few things I like to keep in stock. And then tonight, we'll see a movie. Won't that be exciting?"

"Yeah," Hiro smiled warmly. "What movie are we seeing?"

"We won't know until we get there," Stan shrugged. "Ta-ta for now! Heathcliffe is cleaning if you need anything, I'll be back as soon as I can."

And with that, Stan jogged down the rest of the stairs, made a beeline for the front door, and was gone the next second.

Hiro slid and sat down on the steps of the stairs, sighing quietly and fiddling with the sleeves of his red jacket. The marble stair he sat on creaked, making him frown in confusion.

 _Marble doesn't creak..._

He stood up, examining the step. It was fake, unlike the rest of the steps. He lifted the top to reveal a rolled up blueprint inside of the step. Pulling it out, he sat back down and unrolled the paper, gasping at what he saw. It appeared to be blueprints for a maze of some sort, the center shaped like a Krei Tech "K." He quickly took out the broken telescope he had found in his burned down house from his pocket.

The symbols were the same. It was also the symbol tattooed on Krei's ankle.

 _Stan can't be associated with Alistar Krei. He's so sweet._

 _But things aren't always as they seem..._

 _Something strange is going on here._

The sound of the doorbell ringing shook Hiro out of his thoughts, and he quickly shoved the paper back under the staircase.

"I'll get it!" he shouted, walking down the remaining steps and walking across the massive foyer to the door.

When he opened it, he nearly passed out.

A man, clearly Alistar Krei, stood at the door. He had apparently dyed his hair white and grown a beard out to be a giant, fluffy ball. He wore half-moon spectacles and a lab coat.

"Good morning," he said with an accent. "I am...Obake...Dr. Lee's new assistant."

"It's afternoon, and you're Alistar Krei," Hiro snarled, clenching his fists in anger.

"Perhaps you can take my suitcases up to my room," Krei ignored him. "The ride here was long and dull, and Obake is drained."

"You're Krei," Hiro repeated. "I will not help you with your luggage, and I will not let you in this house."

Hiro reached over to shut the large door before Krei pulled out a large, golden dagger, slamming it between the frame and the door before it closed. Hiro gulped but didn't stop glaring. Krei bumped his shoulder on the door as he shoved himself inside, pointing the dagger at Hiro's throat as he walked forward and Hiro walked backward with his hands up.

"Well, I see you haven't changed a bit," Krei said with a smirk. "New clothes I see. You're obviously as stubborn as ever. You're still wearing those idiotic glasses from reading too many books. And I can't help but notice your throat is still intact. Strange..."

"What are you talking about?" Hiro grimaced as they began going up the steps. "My throat had always been intact."

"Really?" Krei scoffed. "That's odd; I could have sworn that you slit your throat in an accident. I seem to recall a man named Obake being so confused by being called Alistar Krei that he accidentally let go of his knife on your neck and severed your throat."

"You wouldn't dare," Hiro scoffed this time.

"Let's not discuss what I would or would not dare do," Krei growled. "Instead, let's discuss your poor, unfortunate parents."

Krei pointed his knife at the picture Stan had shown them earlier that week, then back to Hiro.

"Your parents were very brave in their days, but, well, you know...their days are done, Hiro..."

"How do you even know it's them in that photo?" Hiro asked.

"I took the picture."

Hiro felt his stomach drop at his words.

"And now, all that's left of them is their enormous fortune, and that enormous fortune is mine."

"Never," Hiro sneered, hands still in the air.

"Never is a very long time," Alistar said sadly. "But your ridiculous uncle will be back in a few seconds-"

"Hiro?" Hiro heard Tadashi call from downstairs. Hiro began to panic, but Krei held a finger to his mouth threateningly. "Hiro, who was at the door?"

Tadashi looked up at the balcony as Krei pointed the dagger at Hiro's throat and Hiro held his hands up. Before he knew what was happening, Hiro smacked the knife out of Alistar's hand.

"Hiro-!"

"RUN!" Hiro yelled, sprinting towards the stairs. Tadashi waited anxiously for his brother at the foot of the steps

Suddenly, Alistar grabbed Hiro by his hoodie, causing him to make a horrible gagging sound and for his broken telescope to fall out of his pocket.

"HIRO!"

"No, stay!" Hiro insisted Tadashi, smacking Krei off and running down the stairs. Hiro snatched the broken telescope from the bottom of the stairs and grabbed a shocked Tadashi's hand, leading him back to the Microbot room and slamming the door shut, just barely missing the knife that Krei sent flying toward him.

"Dammit!" Krei howled, banging on the door and obviously thinking that the codes and combinations on the door needed to be twisted and turned. "Furnaces of hell!"

Hiro slid down the door in exhaustion, painfully gripping his palm-he had cut his hand when he swatted the knife away from his throat.

"Hiro, what the hell happened?!" Tadashi cried, falling to his knees and making sure Hiro was alright. "What did he do to you?"

Noticing Hiro's pain filled expression, his eyes flew to Hiro's torso.

"Did he STAB you-?"

"Tadashi, I'm fine!" Hiro insisted, showing Tadashi his bloody palm. "It's just my hand."

Before Tadashi could freak out anymore, Krei's chilling voice came from the other side of the door.

"Oh, Hamadas?" he hissed. "I've got a present for you...it's shiny and pointy..."

"How did he find us?" Hiro asked, rising from the ground only to be shoved back down by Tadashi.

"That's the wrong question," Tadashi mumbled. "What do we do?"

"Open this door!" Krei shouted angrily.

"We can smash a window," Hiro suggested. "Run next door to the city-"

"And go where?" Tadashi asked.

"We can't just wait for him to bust in here and slaughter us!" Hiro shouted, standing up despite Tadashi's protests.

"Hiro, he wants you dead, don't you understand?!" Tadashi cried. "He only needs me-I'm the one who has to come of age! He'll kill you, then what will I do?! I can't lose you-"

"God dammit-!"

A sudden car honking brought their attention back to the door, sighing in relief as they rushed to the window to see Stan's car parked in the driveway and to see Krei waving at him.

"He'll see right through Krei's disguise, won't he?"

"My name is Obake," Krei introduced himself. "I have been sent from very far away."

"Well, that is an unusual and long-winded explanation," Stan Lee laughed nervously, shaking the man's hand. "So, let me understand this-you are my new assistant, sent to me even though I already have one, Heathcliffe-"

"Where the hell is Heathcliffe?" Tadashi asked, but Hiro shushed him.

"-by the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology?"

"Yes, SFIT for short," Krei nodded.

"And your name is Obake?"

"What? Yes, yes."

"Ah! And your papers?"

Krei handed Stan a stack of papers which Stan Lee obviously rolled his eyes at, unnoticed by Krei.

"Well, everything is settled then!"

Krei raised an eyebrow at the man, scoffing slightly.

"Really?"

"Yes! Welcome!" Stan Lee laughed, shaking Krei's hand. "Come inside!"

Krei frowned in disbelief but, nonetheless, followed Stan inside.

"Well, there's a spare room upstairs. It's small, but like I said, I have two teenagers living with me, so living quarters are quite tight."

"Not for long," Krei mumbled. "I mean, I don't mind!" Krei corrected in his accent.

"Ah," Stan said uncomfortably. "Well, why don't you go upstairs and get yourself settled? And I will go find the children."

As Krei went up the steps, suitcases in tow, Stan grimaced, taking off his fedora and walking towards the microbot room.

"Hamadas?"

"Is that you, Stan?" Tadashi asked through the door.

"Yes!"

Tadashi opened the door, allowing Stan Lee inside, who shut the door immediately after.

"What happened?" Stan asked, taking notice of Hiro's hand and Tadashi's terrified expression.

"Uncle Stan, that man is not to be trusted, he almost killed Hiro-"

"Shh, Tadashi," Stan insisted, checking behind him to make sure the door was shut and leading them through the back door that led to the driveway. "I know. Heathcliffe has informed me."

"Where the HELL was Heathcliffe?!" Tadashi cried. Stan ignored him. He took them to the car, opening the back seat and taking groceries out of it.

"I got all my shopping done and even got take out for dinner," Stan whispered. "There should be enough for Obake. Now, we don't have much time before the movie, so help me take in these groceries."

Stan handed Hiro a sack, who grabbed it with his injured hand, silently groaning in pain.

"I am so sorry, Hamadas," Stan sighed, leaning against his car. "I had no idea that our enemies would catch up to us so quickly. It's clear now that I can't turn my back for a second."

"So you recognized him?" Tadashi asked, taking the sack from Hiro's hand and scolding him.

"Of course I recognized him," Stan whisper-shouted. "He can wear as many lab coats as he wants, and present me with as many ridiculous papers as he wants. He's no more a lab assistant than I am a civilian."

"What?"

"Nevermind that," Stan shrugged.

"So what are we gonna do?" Hiro asked. "Call the police?"

"If we call the cops or the fire department, that so-called lab assistant will have us in his clutches. He's trying to replace Freddy...and we all know Obake doesn't work alone. We must keep an eye on him. He will join us for dinner, and then we will invite him to the movies with us tonight. A man that dastardly must be watched like a hawk."

"So that's all we're gonna do?" Tadashi scoffed. "Watch him?"

"For now, Hamadas, we'll be watchful and wary," Stan Lee said, gathering the rest of the groceries. "We can't afford to turn our backs, not even for a second."

He began to walk toward the house, Tadashi walking right beside him and Hiro following behind.

"Besides-Oh no!"

Stan Lee gasped as one of the windows from the second story of the house burst open, a large lamp falling out of it, right over Hiro.

"Wha-?" Hiro looked up, yelping as the lamp became bigger and bigger...

"WATCH OUT!" cried Stan, shoving Hiro out of the way, the lamp shattering on his head. "ARGH!"

"UNCLE STAN!" Hiro frantically helped his uncle to his feet, Tadashi following suit.

"So sorry!" Krei shouted from the window. "I seem to have been very careless with the heavy glass reading lamp that fell out while you were right underneath it."

"Totally understandable," Stan laughed, standing up and brushing the shards of glass off of his shirt.

"Sorry about that," Krei said again, shutting the window. Stan whipped around to face the boys.

"I know the layout of that room as well as I am aware the structure of a single microbot," Stan said softly, "and there is no way that that lamp was near the window."

"Of course not," Tadashi implored. "He wasn't being careless. He was being murderous. Are you two alright?"

"Fine," Hiro and Stan said in unison.

"Tadashi," Hiro mumbled, looking up at the window where Krei was being scolded by Heathcliffe. "I think you were right. Krei wants me dead, as well as he wants Stan gone. He's trying to get rid of both of us so he can get to you and your fortune."

" _My_ fortune?" Tadashi asked hurt and panicked. "Hiro...it's our fortune; we're brothers."

"Krei doesn't care about that," Hiro added. "He'll do anything to get it. That's the third time he's almost killed me today."

"Stan, we need to call the authorities," Tadashi insisted, grabbing Hiro's shoulders.

"Trust me, Hamadas..." Stan reassured them. "I may be a world renowned scientist, but I also minored in criminology. I know what I'm doing."

And with that, Stan and Hiro hurried into the house with the groceries, leaving Tadashi horrified with the information he was given.

Hiro couldn't die. He just couldn't.

* * *

"Now let's eat quickly, everyone. We don't want to be late for the movies."

The Hamadas nodded, devouring their rice from across the table. Krei grimaced.

"I don't think I'll be joining tonight," he informed them with his fake accent. "I thought I'd stay and read up on dangerous robots."

Krei shot a look at Hiro, who looked down at his plate with a glare.

"Well, Obake, you must join us!" Stan insisted. "We must celebrate your arrival."

"In all honesty, I prefer documentaries," Krei admitted.

"I insist you come!"

"I insist on staying here."

"I insisted first."

"I insisted louder."

"With all due respect, I feel uncomfortable leaving my machines alone with a relative stranger."

"Fine," Krei sighed, jabbing his fork at his plate. "But I would like to make a brief phone call before we leave."

"Of course," Stan smiled. "The phone is in the parlor."

Krei stood to take the call. While Tadashi and Stan cleaned the dishes up, Hiro snuck to listen to the call.

"Yes, a movie theater. Where they show movies. Yes, of course, it's more convenient just not to go, that's what I said. I didn't ask for your opinion!"

Krei slammed the phone into the wall, shooting Hiro a glare. Hiro frowned at him, returning to the dining room.

Moments later, they were filing into the car, Stan driving away from the house and into the depths of the city. Stan left the car momentarily to buy their tickets, leaving the three men in the car. Krei pulled out his knife, admiring it.

"We know what you're up to," Tadashi snarled. "If anything happens to my brother or me, you'll never touch or fortune."

"If I wanted to harm you, orphan, your blood would be streaming out of this car like a waterfall. It's only the one orphan I need anyway; maybe I can harm on of you, though..."

Krei slowly extended his arm to Hiro, the knife barely missing Hiro's throat. Hiro held his ground, hardly flinching. Tadashi made to move, but Krei shot him the most terrifying glare he had ever seen.

"Not a peep, Tadashi," Krei smirked, pocketing the knife and getting out of the car. Hiro ignored Tadashi's concerned glance, jumping out of the car and slamming the door shut in frustration.

Stan led them inside, informed them that they would be watching a superhero movie. Krei bought everyone popcorn and a refreshment, and they found their seats.

Hiro went down the row first, then Tadashi and Stan while they waited for Krei to return with the drinks.

When he did return, he skirted down the aisle nest to Hiro, slowly sitting down and smirking at him.

"You know, kids," Stan whispered to the boys, "I am so excited to be seeing a movie with you. Your parents would be so very proud of you. I know they would."

"For seeing a movie?" Hiro asked.

"There's more to a movie than just a movie," Stan said. "Promise me, Tadashi, that if I leave during the film not to act like anything is amiss, and watch Hiro."

As the movie began to play, Krei noticed Stan glancing from the screen to his lap for the majority of the time. He looked over and realized that he was writing something on the back of his movie ticket. Watching the movie and realizing he must be deciphering some sort of code, he quickly took action, standing up and going in front of Stan.

"Move, please," Stan begged, looking beyond Krei to see the screen.

"I need to get more popcorn," Krei lied, pretending that his foot was stuck. Stan shoved him out of the way desperately, scribbling something onto the back of his ticket frantically. Krei snarled, marching down to the concession stand in the lobby. Relief flooded over him after realizing that the people behind the counter were none other than his associates from Krei Tech.

"People at Krei Tech are getting suspicious, boss," one of them said anxiously, taking his popcorn container and refilling it.

"I don't care," Krei muttered. "Operation Capture Stan Lee is relocated, it has to be here. Not in the mansion. We need to act fast, too-he's trying to send a message..."

"On it," said the other, taking the container from the employee and handing it back to Krei. The two associates scurried to the back of the theater. Krei hurried back to his seat next to Hiro, nervously glancing over at Stan every other second. Stan noticed this and set his popcorn aside.

"I am going to need to excuse myself," he whispered to Tadashi, rising from his seat and rushing out of the theater.

Stan had finished deciphering his notes-for this was no ordinary movie. He had reason to believe Fred had tampered with the film to send Stan a message. Stan fought back tears as he read the back of his ticket.

 _Dad..._

 _Take Hiro and Tadashi to Tokyo; my time is up, I'm being followed._

 _Don't come after me. Save yourself. Run._

 _-Fred_

Stan rushed to his close friend at the ticket booth, asking him if he could help him in acquiring three tickets to Tokyo. Luckily, the man had four he didn't need for the S.S. Prospero, a cruise traveling to Tokyo the next morning. He rushed back to the theater, but before he could make it to the Hamadas, he was engulfed in a thick red curtain,

held by Krei's goons. The Hamadas did not want to turn their backs on Alistar Krei, so they did not see what happened in the back of the dark theater. But, of course, there was much more going on that the Hamada orphans were not aware of.

The movie ended with the flip of the lights, making Hiro and Tadashi wince.

 _Stan hadn't returned..._

"Terrible ending," Alistar mumbled. "The civilians should have died like in _Spider-Man_."

"Where's Stan?" Hiro asked. Tadashi shrugged, and they ran to the lobby, looking around frantically for him.

"Stan?"

"Stan!"

"What's this?" Krei asked innocently. "Your guardian has disappeared. Dear me, dear me."

The boys ignored him, rushing outside to the back alley way of the theater.

"Two helpless youths, all alone in the world...whatever shall we do next?" Krei snarled, grabbing Hiro by the hoodie and Tadashi by the arm.

"Drive home, of course," came a voice from behind. Tadashi and Hiro gasped in relief at the sight of Stan Lee, entirely unharmed, standing behind them.

"Stan!"

"You're here!"

"Hello, boys," he smiled warmly at them. "It's been a long night, and we have a very busy day tomorrow. Did you enjoy the movie?"

"Yes," the boys said in unison.

Stan glanced at a shocked Krei, smirking just slightly.

"Wait in the car, Hamadas. I have some unfinished business with Obake."

"Will you be okay?" asked Hiro.

"Of course," Stan chuckled. "I am your guardian. It is my job...and my delight, might I add, to keep you safe. Run along."

Tadashi and Hiro cast one final look toward Krei before Tadashi grabbed Hiro's shoulders and they both went to the car.

Stan whipped his head over at Krei in anger.

"Do you think you can just waltz into my life, and the lives of my boys, and perpetuate this treachery?" he snarled. "You're a wretched person, and a bad actor, Obake, or whatever your real name is."

"You don't know my real name?" Krei asked in his normal voice.

"I don't need to know your real name. Because of you..."

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Tadashi asked Hiro, who was leaning against the window.

"I hope he's telling him to leave us the hell alone," Hiro mumbled.

"You're done for, Obake."

A sudden thought occurred to Stan that made his stomach wrench.

"You..."

"Sorry?"

"It was you...YOU killed my son! You killed Fred!" He shouted in anger, taking slow steps toward Krei.

"Is that so?" Krei smirked.

"I'LL MURDER YOU!" Stan roared throwing himself on Krei. Hiro jumped out of the car, making Tadashi scream after him.

"Hiro-NO! It's too dangerous-"

But Hiro was running to Stan, grabbing his arm and leading him to the car.

"There's no time, Stan; forget him!"

Stan nodded, running along with him to the car. They tore out of the parking lot, speeding home.

"That terrible man will never bother us again," Stan said, trying to catch his breath. "Sorry about that, just got mad..."

"What happened?" Tadashi asked. Stan gulped.

"He...he murdered my son, boys, don't worry about it. I confronted him and threw him out of our lives forever."

"And we're just leaving him there?" Tadashi asked nervously. "In the parking lot?"

"Under the eye of a very capable ticket seller," Stan assured them. "Besides, if he does slip away..."

"Again," Tadashi mumbled.

"It's none of our concern," Stan finished. "We'll be far away from here. Hamadas, we will not be spending the season in the research laboratory. We are off to Tokyo."

"Tokyo?" the boys asked in unison.

"It's a beautiful place!" Stan smiled. "It's full of marvelous attractions, much like San Fransokyo, but more importantly, all the answers we need are in Tokyo. You must have oodles of questions after that movie. What do you say, Hamadas? Are you in?"

"We're in, Uncle Stan," Hiro smiled gratefully.

* * *

That night, the boys, Heathcliffe, and Stan stayed up late planning their journey. Stan patted the boys' shoulders in pure joy.

"Listen, boys...I know the loss of your parents was a great tragedy. But you can still have the life they wanted for you. Now, however, it is time to go to bed. Yes, we have a squidillion things to do tomorrow and a boat to catch."

Stan followed the boys upstairs as they got into their beds and laid down.

"More on that tomorrow, yes..." Stan muttered to himself. "Good night, boys."

"Goodnight, Uncle Stan," the boys said warmly.

"Sweet dreams, and tomorrow...Tokyo."

He flipped the light off, leaving the boys to lay in silence and happiness. Stan shut the door, walking down the hallway slowly with a small smile on his face. He stopped at a picture of himself and his son Fred. Stan had just gotten back from an important job from the mayor and returned to Fred dressed as a superhero with his mother. They were all laughing. A tear cascaded down Stan's cheek as he passed the picture before he turned on his heel and went downstairs to help Heathcliffe pack.

I'm sorry to say that this was the last time Stan would be smiling before the arrival of dramatic irony. But as Dr. Lee had promised, no harm would come to the Hamada orphans in the Microbot Mansion. I regret to say that great harm came to Uncle Stan.

* * *

There's no word to describe the feeling of waking up and knowing instantly that something is terribly wrong. If there were, the Hamadas would have used that word when they rose to find Dawn had awoken them, and their Uncle Stan had not.

Tadashi sat bolt upright, jumping out of bed, sure not to wake Hiro, and rushing downstairs.

"Uncle Stan?" he called, rushing down to the microbot room. "Are you in here? Uncle Stan?"

We all know that our time in this world is limited and that eventually all of us will go to sleep, never to wake up. But that didn't change how Tadashi felt when...

Tadashi noticed Stan sitting at his desk, his chair turned away from him. He gulped as he approached him, gasping in terror at the sight of Stan.

He was dead.

Stan lie stone cold in his chair, his neck purple and his eyes red. Tadashi touched his shoulder, even though he didn't expect a response.

"How could this happen?" Tadashi whispered, a tear streaming down his cheek as he shut Stan's eyelids in respect.

"My, my, my," Krei smirked from the entry way, making Tadashi jump. "What a terrible accident. Whoever discovers this will be very upset." Krei set down his suitcases next to the door, struggling with one of them.

"You murdered him!" Tadashi cried.

"Why, Tadashi, I'm surprised. A smart guy like you ought to be able to figure out that jolly, old Stan died from a microbot attack, not murder. Look at the indentions on his neck."

Tadashi looked down in shock-he was right. Stan's neck had tiny little red microbot indentions littering it. Tadashi gasped.

"Stop it!" Tadashi sneered. "Stop talking about him like that!"

"You're right," Alistar sighed. "No time for chitchat. We have a ship to catch, and I'd like to board in time to have a bottle of wine before lunch."

Krei pulled out the tickets with a smirk.

"Hiro and I wouldn't go to the end of the driveway with you, much less international waters!"

"Well, then I guess I'll have to get my own luggage," Krei sighed, unfolding the handle from one of his wheeled suitcases and smirking as he "accidentally" bumped it into the wall.

"Ow!" came a muffled voice from inside.

Tadashi's heart skipped a beat.

 _Hiro is inside a wanted criminal's suitcase._

"HIRO!"

Tadashi ran after Krei as he went out to the car, loading the suitcases into the trunk.

"Let him out RIGHT NOW!" Tadashi roared as he sprinted up to Krei. "He won't be able to breathe!"

"I'm so tired of having to explain everything to you," Krei moaned. "You're supposed to be so smart and yet you persistently seem to forget about this.."

Krei whipped out his knife, making Tadashi step back.

"I'll leave some breathing holes for him," Krei smirked, stabbing the suitcases multiple times.

"Stop-NO, DON'T!" cried Tadashi.

"I'm kidding," Krei shrugged. "That's not the suitcase he's in. I don't think."

"Please don't hurt him," Tadashi begged, tears filling his hazel eyes.

"Then get in the car," Krei insisted.

Tadashi closed his eyes but nodded, getting in the back seat and looking down at his hands in shock. Krei rolled his eyes as he slammed the door shut, starting the engine.

"Really, there's no one to blame but yourself," Krei said. "If you hadn't stranded me at the movies, I wouldn't have had to kill Stan Lee, and we'd all be on our way to Tokyo."

"You're just gonna leave him there?" Tadashi asked, disgusted at the thought.

"Who Hiro? He doesn't mind; he didn't struggle a bit when I shoved him in that suitcase."

"No, Stan-wait, WHAT?"

"Here we go," Krei ignored him, driving out of the lot.

"You can't take us out of the country!"

Krei turned around, smirking at Tadashi more villainously than ever before.

"And who's going to stop me?" he asked with a mischievous chuckle. But while his back was turned, the person who had the ability to stop him was driving right for them.

Mr. Wasabi.

"Krei-LOOK OUT!"

"ARGH!" Krei sneered, slamming on the brakes just in time to miss Wasabi's car and ramming into one of the microbot topiaries.

"Oh no..." Krei moaned as the topiary slowly fell, slamming into the front of the car and toppling over to crush the back.

"Hiro!"

It's exceedingly rare for an accident to be a fortunate event. Luckily for the Hamadas...this was one of those times.

Krei got out of the car and slammed the door, marching toward a coughing Wasabi in fury.

"What were you THINKING careening down the driveway like a MANIAC?" Krei roared at the man.

"Me?" Wasabi asked with a scoff. "I was driving well below the speed limit!"

"Mr. Wasabi!" cried Tadashi, running toward the confused bank teller.

"Tadashi?"

"I'm so grateful you ran into us," Tadashi said, catching his breath.

"Well, I wouldn't say that. It was clearly the fault of the other driver."

"I never..." Krei began in his accent.

"I thought there were two of you..." Wasabi muttered.

 _Hiro._

"Oh, no-Hiro!" Tadashi ran to the back of the car in horror to find the topiary crushing the entirety of the back seat. He frantically tried lifting it off but to no avail. Out of pure anger, out of terrified concern for his brother, Tadashi lifted with all his might, throwing the topiary off the car with an obnoxious thud. He threw open the trunk and pulled out the suitcase, unzipping it and yanking his little brother out of it. Hiro took a gasp as he was lifted out of the small space and into his brother's arms.

"What is going on here?" Wasabi asked after witnessing Hiro being pulled out of a _suitcase._ Krei shrugged. "You're not Dr. Lee. Who are you?"

"My name is Obake," Krei said with a fake smile. "I'm Dr. Lee's new assistant. I mean, I was. I mean...I don't know how to say it..."

"Uncle Stan is dead," Hiro said, standing up and standing next to Wasabi. Tadashi raised an eyebrow.

 _If Hiro's been in the suitcase this whole time, how did he know...?_

"Dead?" Wasabi gasped. "But that...That's terrible. How did it happen?"

"He was killed by one of his own creations," Krei said sadly. "I was on my way now to get the coroner. The boys were too hysterical to be left here all alone."

"He wasn't taking us to the coroner!" Hiro demanded. "He was taking us to Tokyo!"

"What?" Krei asked with a laugh. "See? Hysterical."

"No, the boys must be confused," Wasabi said, shaking his head in confusion. "Dr. Lee was taking them to Tokyo. Last night he called me to insist on me rearranging my morning itinerary to bring them these passports."

Wasabi pulled out two passports, which Krei snatched out of his hand.

"He'd want me to have them," Krei smiled.

"Can't you see, Mr. Wasabi?" Tadashi cried. "That's Alistar Krei."

"He's in disguise, and he's trying to take us away!" Hiro added.

"Who am I? What am I doing?" Krei asked innocently. "Don't you miss the vivid imagination of childhood, Mr. Wasabi?"

"Boys, you must be very distraught about losing your uncle," Wasabi said pitifully, ignoring Krei's past remark. "Alistar Krei is a terrible man who tried to steal your fortune."

"Really?" Krei asked shocked.

"Yes," Wasabi nodded sadly.

"And do I look anything like this Alistar Krei?"

"No, you don't," Wasabi assured him. "Alistar Krei doesn't have a beard, and he isn't bald, unlike you."

"He let his beard grow, and he's wearing a bald cap!" Hiro yelled angrily at Mr. Wasabi. "Can't you see? Anyone could see that!"

Tadashi stood silent, unsure of what to do. He glanced over at Hiro, who was obviously thinking of some way of proof. Hiro's eyes widened, and he pointed at Krei's ankle.

"Alistar has a tattoo on his ankle," Hiro said frantically. "It looks like a 'K.'"

"I hate to trouble you, sir," Wasabi sighed. "Just to put the children's minds at ease, would you be so kind as to show us your ankle?"

Krei's eye twitched in panic, but he forced a smile.

"I'd be happy to," Krei whispered, putting his ankle on the car and pulled up his pant leg, showing them the clean skin of his left ankle.

"My apologies, Mr. Obake," Wasabi said with a tip of his hat.

"It's no problem," Krei assured him, smirking at a shocked Hiro. "As long as the vehicle is operational then we really must be going."

"No," Wasabi said directly. "None of us are going anywhere until the police have been called."

"What a sensible idea," Krei mumbled angrily.

* * *

"It's very urgent. First name Stan. Last name Lee. No, this isn't a prank call. Hello?"

Wasabi yelled in frustration, slamming the phone back into the wall. Krei, on the other hand, was pacing back and forth nervously with his business phone, frustrated more than he ever had been.

"I don't care if you have a meeting about a flying cat machine, I'm your boss, and I'm telling you to come here now!"

Meanwhile, Tadashi and Hiro sat slumped in the hallway upstairs, reaching a new level of frustration.

"I don't understand how he got rid of his tattoo," Hiro moaned, head in his hands.

"Hiro, how did you know Stan was dead if you'd been in the suitcase?" Tadashi asked. Hiro looked at Tadashi in shock before rolling his eyes in understanding.

"Yes, right. Well, last night I got thirsty and went to get a glass of water. When I was down there, I heard Stan making a weird noise in his lab. I went in there to check on him. Krei was standing over him with some strange contraption pointed at his neck, so I ran in there to stop him. He pointed it at me; everything went dark. I barely heard Stan's last words, something about wanting to be with his son again, and Krei was still pointing the thing at him. I woke up when Krei bumped me into the wall. That's all I know."

Tadashi could only stare at Hiro in shock before he raised a shaky hand to Hiro's hand.

"I'm sorry I'm never there for you," Tadashi murmured. Hiro rested his head on Tadashi's shoulder.

"None of this is your fault, Tadashi," Hiro reassured him. "None of it. We'll make it out of this together. No matter who we have to stay with, everything will be alright, I know it."

Tadashi smiled warmly at Hiro, hugging him with his one arm draped around Hiro's shoulder.

"Nerd," Hiro said with a laugh. Tadashi chuckled and lightly shoved Hiro playfully.

"I just want you to know," Tadashi began, licking suddenly dry lips, "that I never meant for you to get so caught in the middle of this. Krei only needs me, and he's hurting you to get to me. I'm sorry."

"Tadashi quit it," Hiro scolded, standing up and extending his hand to help Tadashi up. "We're in this together. We're both caught in the middle of this-we can get out together."

"Good news!" Wasabi called from downstairs. "I managed to get through to the San Fransokyo sheriff's department. It seems that there's a bot fight going on downtown giving them the runaround, but they assured to send someone as soon as they're able."

The doorbell rang, making Hiro jump up to answer it.

"They must have made quick work of that fight," Wasabi shrugged, noticing the sirens blaring outside.

Hiro gasped when he opened the door. It was one of Krei's associates dressed in a coroner's outfit. He stepped back before clearing his throat.

"Can I help you?" Hiro asked with a glare.

"I'm Nurse Lucafont," the employee lied.

"Nurse Lucafont!" Krei gasped in relief, throwing Hiro out of the way. "From the local sheriff's department's medical examiner's office!"

"I hear there's been a terrible accident," the employee said, stepping inside and looking around.

"That was fast," Wasabi scoffed. "I only just now made the call."

"I believe speed is the essence in an emergency, sir."

Krei nodded in satisfaction.

"Now, the body?" the employee asked. "Lead the way."

"It's right over here in the Microbot Room," Krei said, leading him to the open door where Heathcliffe was standing staring at Stan Lee's body in horror.

"Awful, just awful..." he kept whispering under his breath, stepping out of the way so that the "coroner" could take a look at him. Hiro raced behind the coroner, stopping him before he could go inside.

"Excuse me," Hiro said, "but why are you wearing that mask over your face?"

"I heard there would be microbots," the employee sputtered. "They might be contagious."

"Microbots aren't contagious," Hiro scoffed. "Are you sure you're a qualified nurse?"

"Maybe the boys should wait outside," Krei insisted. "Being in a room with a dead body could be very dramatic."

"We've already been in a room with a dead body, thanks to you!" Hiro said in frustration. "You killed him in front of me, I should know."

Tadashi looked down in guilt.

"Thank you for that excellent point, Obake," Wasabi agreed. "I must say, you show remarkable compassion for the boys."

"I appreciate it," Krei forced a smile. "Perhaps I will wait out here with the boys as well well you and Nurse Lucafont examine the body."

"Or we could both wait with the boys," Wasabi yelped in disgust at the thought of seeing the body.

"Why don't Hiro and I wait with Mr. Wasabi while Obake and Nurse Lucafont go to examine the body?" Tadashi suggested.

"Fine," Krei groaned. "Follow me. But remember, I will just be on the other side of this door."

The door shut with a thud, making all three men jump slightly before Wasabi smiled pitifully at the boys.

"Oh, I'm sorry, boys," Wasabi said sadly. "Dr. Lee did seem like an appropriate guardian for you."

"He was more than that," Hiro said, shaking his head. "He was much, much more than appropriate."

"Please don't let him be our new guardian," Tadashi begged, stepping forward to grasp Hiro's shoulder.

"Oh, don't be silly, boys," Wasabi chuckled. "It is quite shocking that Dr. Lee died, but I'm not going to just simply hand you and your fortune off to his assistant. Not without some very thorough paperwork."

Hiro and Tadashi's stomachs dropped.

Suddenly, the sound of Nurse Lucafont screaming made the three of them sprint toward the Microbot Room, asking frantically what had gone wrong.

"Lucafont was startled by a few microbots," Krei said in annoyance.

"It's a microbot _room_ ," Hiro scoffed. "What did you think would be in here?"

"I didn't know that meant literally," the nurse said frightened.

"Anyways," Krei continued, "You've come just in time. Nurse Lucafont has finished the autopsy.

"And?" Wasabi asked hopefully.

"Microbots killed him," the nurse shrugged.

"Are you sure?" Hiro scoffed again.

"Uh, microbot indentions all over his neck. Only microbots could have done it."

"How terribly tragic," Krei said with a "tsk." "Case closed."

"But Uncle Stan was one of the most brilliant scientists in the world," Tadashi said. "He would know better than to let a dangerous herd of microbots attack him."

"Besides," the nurse went on, "There is purple coloring littering his neck, which can only mean one thing; he was murdered by the Incredibly Deadly Microbots!"

Nurse Lucafont pointed to the cage of purple microbots, making Wasabi and Krei gasp in horror.

"That's impossible!" Tadashi objected. "The Incredibly Deadly Microbots are the least dangerous microbots on the entire planet!"

"Come now, Tadashi," Wasabi said. "They're called the Incredibly Deadly Microbots."

"It's a misnomer," said Hiro. "Uncle Stan invented and named them to scare the judges at his science convention."

"Hiro sounds highly unstable," Krei sighed. "And Stan was not guardian material."

"He was a loving, caring person," Tadashi said, voice cracking. "The Incredibly Deadly Microbots wouldn't hurt anyone, and we can prove it."

"Look at the time!" Krei gasped. "The S.S. Prospero departs at five. Boys, you'd better go and pack."

"Wasabi-Hiro and I CAN'T go with him!" Tadashi insisted. "We don't have the proper paperwork you mentioned.

"He's right," Wasabi sighed. "You seem like a nice person, Obake, but the boys' adventures abroad will have to wait. Come on, boys, we'd better leave."

"No one can leave the house," came a voice from upstairs. The men looked up to see Heathcliffe standing on the balcony, glaring at all of them. "Someone has set loose the deadly microbots, so nobody leaves."

"That's absurd!" Wasabi cried. "I'm late for the bank nd I'm up for a crucial promotion."

"The bank will have to wait," Krei said. "When your back was turned just now, Nurse Lucafont informed me that this entire place is on lockdown. A quarantine!"

The doorbell rang once again, making Krei jump to answer it. The door burst open, several more of Krei's employees filing into the house in different disguises.

"Police!" they all shouted, rushing into the Microbot Room.

"Th-those are all Krei's accomplices!" Hiro cried.

"And they're all in costume!" Tadashi said.

"No, boys, these are all adults," Wasabi said with a laugh.

"You!" one of the employees pointed at another employee. "Create a perimeter. No one goes in or out of the house until the microbots are caught! You two," he pointed at two others, "get that body in the van and back to the ME for some TLC before it's DOA."

"But you said no one could leave the house," Nurse Lucafont said in fear.

"No one except you!" the employee sneered.

"Are you kidding me?" Hiro yelled in frustration.

"Oh, boys, it's rude to question police authority," Wasabi scolded, turning to the employee that had been barking orders. "The children lost their uncle today; I'm sure you can understand. Hiro, Tadashi, why don't you wait upstairs? The adults will take care of it from here."

"But Wasabi-"

"The adults will take it from here," Wasabi said firmly and finally.

"Come on, Hiro," Tadashi sneered, putting a large hand on Hiro's shoulder. "The adults won't take care of anything, but we will."

If you have ever been left out of a conversation due to your age, then you know how the Hamadas felt as they trudged up the stairs unable to participate in the discussion that would determine their fate.

So they decided to have their own.

"We know the Incredibly Deadly Microbots didn't kill Uncle Stan," Tadashi said as they walked into their room.

"And we know that Alistar Krei did," Hiro said with a roll of his eyes. "Mr. Wasabi would never believe us."

"Not without evidence and proof."

"Nurse Lucafont may be a fake nurse, but Uncle Stan had microbot indentions all over his neck that only microbots themselves could make. I saw them this morning."

"I saw the Incredibly Deadly Microbots this morning too; they were in their cage. Who would have let them out? While we were looking away, Alistar Krei must have set them loose."

"Or worse. Destroyed them. If we could find the bots, if we could find out how Uncle Stan actually died, we could prove that they're innocent and that Obake is guilty."

"And Wasabi would have to have Alistar arrested," Tadashi smirked at the thought. "We wouldn't have to go to Tokyo."

Hiro looked up at Tadashi, pain filling his senses as he looked out the window. It was raining-how long had it been raining?

"If we'd found proof earlier," Hiro swallowed and took a deep breath, "maybe we could have saved Stan's life."

Tadashi crouched down to Hiro's level, taking his shoulder and holding his chin.

"If we put Krei behind bars, we could stop him from hurting anyone else. Including us. Including you."

Hiro smiled warmly before his eyes widened slightly.

"I need to get back into the Microbot Room," Hiro said, still looking over at the window.

Tadashi's eyes widened too, dread filling his head. He didn't like where this was going.

Meanwhile back in the Microbot Room, the adults were having an "adult" conversation.

"Maybe we can use the kid to lure the bots," an employee suggested. Wasabi made a disgusted face.

"Keep the banker distracted," Krei whispered to the employee before rushing out of the room.

Krei snuck up the stairs, looking through several bedrooms on the top floor.

 _And he said living quarters were tight; there must be twelve bedrooms up here!_

Krei ignored the thought, walking past what he assumed to be Heathcliff's room, hearing a soft crying from within. He rolled his eyes, going to the boys' door and pulling out his knife.

"Our ship awaits!" he cheered, opening the door. Hiro gasped, falling out of the window in shock. Before Krei had walked in, Hiro had been explaining to Tadashi his brilliant plan to sneak into the Microbot room by climbing out of the window and therefore finding evidence to clear the microbots of the case. Tadashi, who had immediately rejected the idea as it was too dangerous, unfortunately hadn't grabbed his brother in time, and Hiro slipped out of the window and grabbed a ledge on the side of the building just in time. Krei laughed at a horror struck Tadashi, pointing his knife at him.

"You are the only one I need, after all," Krei laughed. Tadashi, however, ran up to him, grabbed him by the arm, and threw him out of the window behind Hiro. Hiro ducked just in time to miss him.

Tadashi looked out the window and extended his hand out for Hiro to grab.

"HIRO!" he cried in the rain and thunder. "Quick, take my hand! I'll pull you up!"

"Run, Tadashi!" Hiro said instead. Tadashi raised an eyebrow in shock.

"Not until you're inside and safe," Tadashi insisted. He looked past Hiro and onto the ground. Krei was looking up at them in anger before he snarled and went back inside the microbot room.

"Tadashi, I'll meet you later!" Hiro insisted. "I'll drop down and go into the Microbot room to find evidence, you go out to Alistar's car and try to see if you can locate the weapon!"

"No, Hiro!" Tadashi knew Hiro was stubborn, but he could put up a better fight. He wasn't going to leave Hiro to dangle in the rain while we waited around to worry and look for clues. "Come on; we have to stay together!"

"Tada-" but before Hiro could finish, a loud rumble of thunder made Hiro jump in surprise, causing him to lose his grip and fall onto the sidewalk under the window.

"Hiro!" cried Tadashi, sticking his head out to make sure he was all right. Hiro lifted a hand weakly and waved it, indicating he was fine.

"I'm alright," Hiro croaked, standing up from the puddle he had fallen in and shaking himself off. "I'm going in, I'll see you later!"

Before Tadashi could stop his little brother, Hiro was already running inside and through an old dog door. Tadashi sighed in worry, tapping his finger anxiously on the window sill. He looked over the wooden fence in the backyard at the beautiful, rainy city of San Fransokyo. He smiled warmly at it, remembering times from his youth, times when things were almost too simple.

He then looked back down at the backyard, gasping in shock.

A maze he hadn't noticed before took up the entire yard, the center containing a woman on statue holding a telescope. The telescope looked familiar, like the one he'd seen Hiro holding all the time.

The hedge labyrinth behind Dr. Lee's house formed a familiar shape of a K; one Tadashi was all too familiar with. He knew the hedges contained secrets; secrets Uncle Stan had promised to share with them.

* * *

"The Microbots are horribly agitated," Wasabi sighed, noticing how all of them shook in their cages more than he assumed they were supposed to.

"Maybe they're upset about the murder," an employee suggested.

"Well, they're robots," Wasabi said. "I hardly think they're aware of anything-did you say 'murder'?"

"I meant accident," the employee rushed to correct himself.

Hiro ignored the adults' banter, crawling through the Microbot Room dripping wet to lean up against the wall on the other side of the room.

Once he put pressure on the wall, however, the wall made a clicking sound, and Hiro soon realized that this wall was not a wall but in fact a secret door.

He crawled inside, gasping at what he saw. Several superhero suits were displayed in cases around the room along with various technologically advanced weapons. Pictures of Fred and Stan were everywhere and framed articles featuring a younger Stan stopping trains and helping civilians scattered the walls.

Hiro gulped in awe.

A certain painting of Stan in his cape and Fred right next to it caught his attention. He walked over to it and read the golden plaque under both paintings.

 **I go front. I go back.**

 **I go inside-out.**

 **Then, I go front and back.**

Hiro felt a sudden jab of sadness after reading it. Both people in these paintings were dead, and the artist, Joan Lee, was obviously Stan's wife and was also dead. He couldn't bear the thought that neither Stan nor Fred would be dead if they had just lived somewhere else.

He shook off the thought, walking over to a case containing several purple transmitters for the Incredibly Deadly Microbots. He took one out in triumph. If he could just put this one on and summon the microbots, he could show them to Wasabi and he would he how innocent they are!

Before he left the room, he spotted out of the corner of his eye Stan Lee's movie ticket from the night before. Curious, he went to pick it up, flipping it over to see the handwriting on the back. He frowned at the message.

 _Dad..._

 _Take Hiro and Tadashi to Tokyo; my time is up, I'm being followed._

 _Don't come after me. Save yourself. Run._

 _-Fred_

How did Fred know Tadashi and him? And who was following him? Krei? Hiro shrugged, putting the ticket in the pocket of his red jacket and taking the transmitter out of the room.

Even though Uncle Stan's body had been removed, the Microbot Room was not as inviting to Hiro as it had been the day before. What happens in a particular place can stain your feelings for it, just as ink can stain a white piece of paper. You can never forget what transpired in that place, just as words in ink can never be unwritten.

Hiro was shaken out of his thoughts when Wasabi spoke up loudly among the bustling employees.

"Oh, I'd better go check on Hiro and Tadashi," he sighed. Hiro ignored him again, his attention going to yet another picture of Stan and Fred, only this time the image held a much greater significance to Hiro. In the picture, Stan walked with a young Fred, who held a telescope similar to the one Hiro had found in his old house. Hiro pulled out his telescope. The Krei Tech K was on Stan's as well as Hiro's. He frowned in confusion. How was Stan linked to Krei? And had he seen that telescope in the backyard where the maze was? He could have sworn the statue was holding it...

Without thinking, Hiro dropped the telescope, jumping at the loud echo that followed.

"What was that?" Wasabi asked, snapping his head toward the sound. Hiro held his breath in anticipation, ducking behind a table.

 _Shit._

* * *

After Hiro had fallen from the window, Tadashi had gone downstairs to Krei's car at the Microbot topiary. He ran to the car and threw the trunk open, pulling Krei's suitcase on the ground and crouching down to examine it. He groaned in frustration seeing the lock on the handle. Taking a deep breath, Tadashi pulled his cap off of his belt loop and placed it firmly on his head, evaluating his options. He spotted a sharp stone in the driveway and assumed that was his best option. He slammed the rock onto the lock, causing the lock to snap and fall off. He smiled in victory, throwing the suitcase open and digging through it. Inside he pulled out a gun-like weapon; only the tip was anything but a gun. There was a loop of microbots at the end, which pinched like a claw when you pulled the trigger and squeezed.

 _Krei must have snapped this on Stan's neck and suffocated him._

Shuddering at the horrible thought, Tadashi took the gun and snapped the suitcase closed. He'd found all he needed.

Hearing a sudden yelp from Hiro at the house, Tadashi jumped to his feet in alarm and turned to the house.

"Hiro," he whispered, knowing something must have gone wrong.

Before he could take a step, however, Krei came up out of nowhere and grabbed Tadashi's arm.

"No, Tadashi, he's not much of a hero now," Krei smirked. "You know, usually nice guys like you don't dig through people's personal, private property. Clever, too, seeing as how one of those trunks was LOCKED before now. But I bet you're not clever enough for this; I have two tickets with me for Tokyo, I take you with me, leave Hiro with my colleagues, and we live happily ever after. How does that sound?"

"Or maybe Hiro stays with me, and you rot in a prison cell with four padded walls. The end," Tadashi growled at Krei, their faces almost touching. Another scream, louder than the previous one, came from the house. Tadashi gasped, shoving Krei out of the way.

"Hiro!"

"Get back here!" Krei chased after him, reaching for his knife. When they got inside of the house, one of the Krei Tech employees held Hiro by his wrist, lifting him off the ground by about four feet. Hiro dangled helplessly and began to kick at the man. The man simply extended his arm so that Hiro's legs couldn't reach. Everyone filed into the foyer at the same time. Tadashi and Krei skidded to a halt, their eyes widening.

"Let him go!" cried Tadashi and Wasabi. Wasabi emerged from behind the man, steaming at him as he insisted that he let go of Hiro. Hiro had given up on fighting back and, once again, dangled helplessly.

"Nice work," Krei said satisfied, a grin spreading on his red face. Tadashi looked at the man, furious for what he was doing. What he was allowing to happen.

"Let's all calm down," Wasabi suggested. "Everyone, take a deep breath. Now, sir, I'm going to ask you to let go of the boy."

"No," the employee said, pulling out a dagger much similar to the one Krei had and pointing it at Hiro. Hiro hated how used to it he was.

"No!" Tadashi roared, taking a step forward only to be grabbed by Krei from behind. "Get your hands off of me!"

Krei also pulled out his weapon, pointing it at Tadashi's neck. Hiro's anger flooded his senses.

"Leave Tadashi alone!" Hiro yelled, pulling a purple transmitter out of his pocket and clipping it to his ear.

"Hey-what are you doing, boy?!" the employee screamed in panic, throwing Hiro to the ground as the sound of tiny clicking filled the room.

"What is that noise?" Wasabi asked horrified.

"The Incredibly Deadly Microbots," came Heathcliff's voice from upstairs. Everyone's eyes darted to the man calmly watching the scene unfold from the balcony. Tadashi and Hiro stared at each other.

"Hiro, what's happening?" Tadashi asked. Hiro only smirked back, the clicking getting louder until the microbots emerged from the dark hallways upstairs, crawling down the steps and slithering towards Hiro. In one swift movement, they entangled themselves around Hiro's form and swallowed him whole, leaving nothing but a large, perfect block where Hiro used to be.

"Goodness, golly, good God, Mary and Joseph, Zeus and Hara, Nathaniel Hawthorne!" Wasabi shrieked in horror, staring at the block with small tears falling out of his eyes. Tadashi stood silent, his eyes as wide as dinner plates, unsure if he should be concerned or not. "Don't touch him! Grab him! Move closer! Run away! Kill the robot! Leave it alone! Feed it! Don't let it kill him!"

The bots shifted suddenly to make a sphere shape, making Wasabi scream louder.

"THEY KILLED HIM! They killed Hiro! Calm down! Call an ambulance! Call a scientist! Call my wife! This is ghastly! This is phantasmagorical!"

Wasabi stopped suddenly, realizing the Krei Tech employees were doing nothing to help Hiro.

"YOU'RE POLICE OFFICERS!" Wasabi roared at them. "Do something!"

"He'll be fine!" an employee said in fear, only really trying to reassure herself. Wasabi scoffed.

Hiro's hand emerged from the circle of microbots, making everyone in the room scream, including Tadashi.

Hiro's other hand stuck out, a journal in it. He tossed it on the floor. Tadashi picked it up and turned to a page with a bookmark in it.

"'The Incredibly Deadly Microbots wouldn't hurt a fly,'" Tadashi read aloud with a shaky voice. "'I know this because I forced them to and no matter how many times they were confronted by the insect they turned away from it. They are smart and work on their own.' They couldn't have killed Stan," Tadashi concluded.

"They do look harmless," Wasabi said, leaning over to get a closer look at the blob of microbots that continued changing shape.

"That doesn't make any difference," Krei scoffed. "There are still plenty of dangerous robots in that room that could have done it."

"You did it!" came Hiro's muffled voice from inside the microbots.

"And I have proof," Tadashi agreed, running out to the car to get Krei's suitcase. When he returned, they all filed into the microbot room. Tadashi looked out the door and realized Hiro hadn't come out of the block yet.

"Hiro? Are you coming?"

"My transmitter fell off; I'll be right there," Hiro assured him. Tadashi nodded reluctantly, going back into the microbot room and emptying the suitcase contents onto Stan's desk.

"When Uncle Stan died, I was immediately suspicious," Tadashi said. "Hiro and I were confident Obake killed him."

"But there were indentions on his neck clearly from Microbots," Wasabi argued.

"That stumped me, too," Tadashi admitted. "That's why I decided to search Obake's suitcase. I knew he wouldn't want to leave any evidence behind. That's when I found this."

Tadashi pulled out the Microbot gun he had found in the trunk. Wasabi gasped.

"But that's ridiculous; I loved your uncle!" Krei said innocently. "What motive would I have to kill him?"

"You're after our fortune," came Hiro's voice from the door, followed by Heathcliff and the Incredibly Deadly Microbots. Hiro sauntered, the microbots slithering after him. Tadashi smiled and nodded in pride as his brother walked in. Heathcliff stood by the door and watched. "You're after our fortune because you aren't Obake; you're Alistar Krei."

Everyone gasped, even Krei's employees. Krei rolled his eyes.

"The kid detective thing is cute, but we've already dismissed that theory," Krei laughed.

"We'll see about that," Wasabi said, pulling out his handkerchief. "Your left ankle, sir."

"Don't come near me with that thing," Krei growled.

"Now," Wasabi repeated, clearing a spot on the table.

"If you insist," Krei shrugged, placing his foot on the table. Wasabi yanked his pant leg up, wiping his ankle to reveal a tattooed K.

"For the first time in my life, I'm happy to see that awful tattoo," Hiro admitted.

Krei simply lowered his ankle and clapped slowly with a smirk.

"Bravo, boys," he said. "Yes, I admit it, I killed Stan Lee. I also killed his son, Fred Lee. I drowned him in the reflecting pond. The question is...what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to send you to jail for a very long time," Wasabi grimaced. "Officers, arrest this man!"

Krei's smirk grew.

"You're all in on it, aren't you?" Wasabi asked dreadfully. The employees nodded slowly, grinning. "Oh. Oh, dear."

If this were a piece of written entertainment for small children, you would know what happens next. With the villain's identity and evil plan exposed, the police would arrive on the scene and place him in jail for the rest of his life. The boys would go out for pizza. But I can tell you that's as unlikely as Uncle Stan returning to life. Still, while Dr. Lee might be dead, the microbots in his collection were very much alive.

"If you don't mind," Krei mumbled, "I'll be taking the boys with me. Or at least the one."

Krei grabbed Tadashi's shoulder aggressively, making Tadashi shudder in fear.

"No!" cried Hiro, grabbing different colored transmitters out of his pocket and slamming them on the side of his head. At once, every caged blob of microbots burst from their cage and went behind Hiro. Hiro stood, fists clenched, his army behind him.

"Don't touch 'Dashi," Hiro growled, extending his hand. With that swift movement, the microbots lunged at the employees and Krei. Panicked, the group ran from the building. Krei grabbed one of his employee's arms.

"Take the van, make sure they follow you and not me," he said.

"Where are you going, boss?" the employee asked.

"International waters," Krei said, running the opposite direction. Wasabi, Tadashi, and Hiro ran outside after them.

"Krei is driving away!" Wasabi cried.

"No, he's not," Hiro said, catching his breath. "He's heading into the labyrinth!"

"We have to go call the police!" Tadashi said, starting to go inside.

"He's not getting away again!" Hiro said, taking his army of microbots with him and running in after Krei.

"Hiro!" Wasabi yelled. "Erhm, Tadashi!"

"What?" Tadashi called from inside.

"Hiro is inside the maze with a murderer!"

"WHAT?!" Tadashi abandoned the phone and ran after Hiro, seeing various colors of microbots rise in the sky where Hiro was.

Hiro saw Krei from far away, running after him angrily.

"STOP!" he yelled, extending his hand out after him. The microbots missed Krei by a hair; they had reached the center of the maze with the statue when Krei went through a trap door on the ground. Hiro fell to his knees in frustration.

Suddenly, the statue in the maze stepped down from her stand, smiling warmly at Hiro. Hiro did nothing but stare in awe.

"Who are you?" Hiro asked in shock. "Why are you dressed as a statue?"

"Both excellent questions," the woman said. Hiro examined her face closer and gasped.

"You're Wasabi assistant. Honey Lemon!"

"It's more of a volunteer position," she said. "I'm sorry I arrived too late to save your uncle. But I can still bring Alistar Krei to justice."

Hiro looked down at the telescope in her hand, and his eyes widened.

"Uncle Stan has a telescope like that. What was he trying to tell us? What's in Tokyo?"

"Forget Tokyo. It's been compromised."

"Who were we supposed to meet there?"

"I know you have a great many questions, Hiro, and I promise there are a great many answers. Tell Wasabi to take you to 1513 Hurricane Lane. You'll get all of the answers you need there. Let me handle Alistar Krei."

Hiro put his hands in his pockets to contemplate what she had told him. Feeling emptiness in his pocket, he groaned in frustration.

"Alistar took my spyglass I think," he sighed.

"He certainly did," Honey Lemon nodded with a grin. "I will get it back to you, Hiro Hamada. I promise."

With that, she turned and ran to the trapdoor Krei had gone through and went inside. Hiro stared in shock, slowly walking out of the maze.

On his way out, Tadashi ran into him frantically, his eyes closed.

"KREI!" Tadashi yelled, slapping Hiro across the face. Hiro put a hand to his cheek in pain, looking at Tadashi in shock.

"What the hell, Tadashi?!" Hiro yelled. Tadashi, realizing what he had done, recoiled his hand and ran to Hiro's side.

"Thank God you're okay," Tadashi breathed in relief, grabbing Hiro's hand and leading him out. "Did you find Krei? What happened?"

"I'll tell you in the car; we're going to 1513 Hurricane Lane."

Before Tadashi could ask, Hiro was running out of the maze and toward Wasabi. He whispered something in his ear and Wasabi nodded in understanding, starting the car. Once they were driving away, Hiro scooted up to the front seat and tapped Wasabi's shoulder.

"Wasabi, what do you know about your secretary?"

"Who, Aiko? Oh, she's fabulous. She has a bad habit of disappearing for days at a time, but she was highly recommended by your parents."

Hiro nodded, turning back to Tadashi and whispering everything that had just happened.

* * *

Honey Lemon jumped off the ladder leading underground. She was in what appeared to be a series of tunnels. Taking a few steps to see if there was any sign of Krei, she spotted a bald cap and fake beard on the ground, followed by a trench coat, leading to a large pair of glasses on a staircase.

 _Pathetic costume,_ she thought, running up the stairs and pushing open a door at the top.

When she pushed it open, she was on a dock, right next to the S.S. Prospero. She came just in time to see Alistar Krei running up to the ship and boarding it. She growled, running after him.

* * *

Krei was in his room on the boat, looking out the window and holding Hiro's spyglass to his eye. A knock on the door made him raise an eyebrow and glance back.

"Who's there?" he groaned.

"Telegram for Alistar Krei?" came a female voice. Krei walked to the door in confusion, opening it and smirking lightly.

"Well, we meet again, Aiko."

Honey Lemon put her hands on her hips, glaring at Krei.

"I hope you don't think you're going to Tokyo," she growled. "Yessica Haircut."

"I find it helpful to leave the country now and then," said Krei. "See some ruins, wait for the manhunt to die down, eat some cuy."

"You won't be eating any cuy unless it's served in a prison cafeteria."

"Why would I be eating in a prison cafeteria?"

"Because I'm taking you to prison."

"Well, good luck with that, because I'm armed," Krei said, pulling out his knife.

"So am I," Honey Lemon said, pulling out a larger knife.

"You wouldn't use it. One of your great gifts is your eminent compassion. You wouldn't squash a spider."

"I like spiders."

Krei slapped her across the face, throwing the window open and stepping onto the ledge. Honey Lemon grabbed him just in time.

"You're not going anywhere you snake," she sneered.

"You're forgetting, my dear Honey Lemon; snakes shed their skin."

Krei slid out of his jacket and jumped out of the window, making Honey Lemon yell in defeat as he splashed into the ocean. She pulled Hiro's spyglass out of the jacket pocket before sprinting out of the room.

* * *

There are times when the entire world seems wrong. The way a microbot room without any microbots seems wrong. The way a bookshelf without any books seems wrong. Or a loved one's house without the loved one. The Hamadas weren't given much time with their Uncle Stan, which seemed wrong. Still, for the first time in a long time, they'd found a place where the world seemed right, if only for a short time. If they found that once, who's to say they couldn't find it again?

* * *

 **i listened to "it ain't me" by selena gomez while typing all 15,291 words of this chapter oops.**

 **anyways thank you guys for the kind words and follows, they mean a lot. i probably should have clarified but this is based on the netflix series, not the book or the movie. this is just an idea i've toyed with for a while and i wanted to type it out, but your reviews are still appreciated. the ending isn't going to be the same as the series, though; i'm going to go with a bh6 twist. as some of you probably noticed, i combined parts one and two for the reptile room episode into this ginormous chapter, but the next chapter should be out this week becuase of spring break. i alos hope you guys know i don't respond to reviews and im not a huge authors note fan (i.e. when someone writes like three words in a chapter and then like literally the rest of the chapter is shout outs and authors notes barf like just update like a normal person) so thats me hope you enjoy have a good week and more is coming very soon 3**


	4. The Wide Window

**thanks for the follows and favorites :')**

* * *

 **For Abigail-**

 **I would much prefer if you were alive and well.**

* * *

If you don't know about the Hamadas unfortunate story and you saw them disembark the Ferry to go to their new destination, 1513 Hurricane Lane, you might think they were bound for a new adventure.

But you would be dead wrong.

My name is Robert Callaghan, and it is my sad duty to tell the tale of the Hamada's tragic lives.

Wasabi, Tadashi, and Hiro took their things and got off of the boat that had taken them to a small town not far from San Fransokyo, Damocles island. With San Fransokyo hardly in view due to the horrible weather, the Hamadas already had a terrible sense of foreboding when they stepped onto the docks. Wasabi took out his umbrella and covered himself and the Hamadas.

"Well, the banking day had already begun," Wasabi sighed. "You'll be thrilled to meet your new guardian. The future is here, Hamadas! I didn't believe them either when they told me about who would be taking care of you next. Remember, you can always contact me at Mulctuary Money Management. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must leave you on this dark island to go to my day job. Your taxi will be here any minute."

"Our guardian isn't meeting us here?" Tadashi asked. He wasn't liking the sound of this; especially since they knew nothing about this guardian of theirs and had only gotten the address from Hiro after he came out of a maze shaken and afraid.

"Unfortunately, no, I'm sorry, Hamadas," Wasabi sighed again. "Which reminds me, I know you had a horrible time with that Alistar Krei. He's a thief and a murderer and has so far escaped captivity. But I have the thing that just might turn things around."

Wasabi excitedly pulled out a red and white striped paper bag, grinning at it in delight.

"Peanuts! Delicious peanuts! My second favorite food when I was little! You can eat them in the taxi. Cheers!"

And with that he was boarding the ferry again, grinning and waving at the boys as the ship took sail toward San Fransokyo. Hiro shook his head with a laugh, throwing his hoodie on and grabbing his suitcase.

"Do you think I should have told him you're allergic to peanuts?" Tadashi asked, chuckling lightly.

"It didn't seem worth mentioning," said Hiro. "We have a lot more important things on our minds."

"Like asking our new guardian is she can help explain all the weird things that keep happening to us."

"Taxi!" Hiro waved at a yellow cab passing by, gesturing Tadashi to follow him as the car skidded to a halt.

"This town doesn't seem very crowded," Hiro said, looking out the rainy, dark shops and buildings.

"That's because everyone's afraid of the new criminal runnin' around," the taxi driver sighed. "Haven't 'ya heard the news? Some dude is runnin' around tearin' buildings and such to shreds. Seems about right to not wanna be here."

"Well, we don't exactly have the privilege of reading the news," Tadashi sighed. "Erhm, do they have any idea where this guy is tearing buildings to shreds?"

"Nah, but don' worry," the taxi driver waved his hand with a laugh. "When I drop you off with your new guardian, you'll neva get hurt by this dude. Your guardian's a bit unusual."

"So we've heard," Hiro muttered. The boys looked out the window to see a navy blue house on the edge of a cliff next to the ocean, rain slamming into it obnoxiously. The foreboding returned to both of them when the taxi driver began pulling into the driveway. The man helped the boys take their suitcases out of the back before waving them goodbye and driving away.

"Thank you!" Hiro called with a wave, turning back to the creaky house. He sighed and turned back to his older brother. "I hope our new guardian really can answer all of our questions. There's so much we don't know."

Hiro rang the door bell, hugging himself due to the cold. Tadashi draped a protective arm around Hiro, making Hiro calm down and feel safer. Things would be okay. They would be happy here, he could feel it.

Hiro and Tadashi gasped when the door opened, staring in awe at what was standing before them.

A tall, white robot with two dots for eyes stood blinking at them, tilting his head and waving at them.

"Uh, hi," Hiro said, waving at the tall robot.

"We're looking for our new guardian?" Tadashi said, looking behind the robot for any sign of human life.

"Hello, I am Baymax, your personal healthcare assistant, and your new guardian," the robot waved, gesturing for them to come inside.

"You gotta be kidding me," Hiro said, eyes wide and mouth open in shock.

"With all due respect, erhm, Baymax, are you sure you're our new guardian?"

The robot simply nodded, grabbing Hiro's arm and pulling him inside and then grabbing Tadashi.

"Your body temperatures are low, please come inside," Baymax said softly, shutting the door behind them. Hiro and Tadashi could only look at each other in shock, then back to Baymax in shock.

"You're...a nurse?" Hiro asked.

"Your personal healthcare companion, Hiro," Baymax nodded.

"And you're positive you're our new guardian?" Tadashi asked again.

"Yes; the last time I spoke with a human, I was given thorough instructions as to how you should be treated and when. Your health is my primary concern, Hiro and Tadashi, and I promise you will be safe here."

Hiro and Tadashi shrugged, smiling warmly at Baymax.

"Baymax, I think the doorbell may have been broken," Hiro said, nudging his head to the door. "We had to press it a few times to get it to operate."

"It's disconnected. There is danger of electrocution. Also be careful not to bump into the telephone," Baymax pointed to a home phone, protected in a glass case. "I do not want either of you to be electrocuted."

"I've read quite a bit on electricity," Hiro said, "and I'm reasonably certain that doorbells and telephones are safe."

"Not in the case of a faulty pacemaker," Baymax shook his head.

"Does someone here have a faulty pacemaker?" Hiro asked in concern.

"No," Baymax said. "But my creator says you can never be too careful. Follow me."

Baymax began waddling to the next room, checking to make sure the boys followed. "Mind the rug. I wouldn't be doing my duty correctly if one of you were to fall and break your necks. Now, I am aware that you have many questions; my master has equipped me with answers. In my master's library, you will find all of the answers you need."

Baymax stepped to the side, telling Hiro to open the door. Hiro nodded, twisting the door knob and gasping at the sight of the library.

Every wall was filled with books except for one, a window that overlooked the ocean. Hiro and Tadashi entered the room, looking around in awe. Hiro walked over to the window, gulping as he looked over the 300-foot drop to the ocean.

"The Pacific Ocean," Baymax said, waddling inside after the boys. "I know every island in its waters and every cave along its shores. My master has a great fear of these waters."

"Does this have to do with our parents?" Hiro asked. Baymax shook his head.

"No, it has to do with my master's best friend, Fred Lee," Baymax said, pointing to a picture of Fred in the corner of the room. Hiro and Tadashi gasped.

"Baymax, who created you?" Tadashi asked.

"My creator is Aiko Miyazaki," Baymax replied. Tadashi and Hiro looked at each other confused.

"We don't know who that is," Hiro sighed.

"She answers to both Aiko and 'Honey Lemon,'" Baymax clarified.

"Oh," Hiro said in shock. "Why was she afraid of the water?"

"My creator has a phobia of water, known as aquaphobia, due to the death of Fred Lee. Fred Lee died from drowning in a pond, located in his own front yard. My creator was devastated at the news and couldn't bear to stay here on the island. She is currently trying to put Alistar Krei in jail as well as capture the villain tearing buildings apart on this very island."

"Wow," Tadashi huffed. "Baymax, what do you know about this villain?"

"I know that it is a man and that he has built a very powerful portal-like machine, which he uses to suck buildings. He has not yet been identified, and I believe he and Alistar Krei are one and the same."

"Really?" Hiro scoffed, impressed by how smart the robot was. "How come?"

"He shares a strange resemblance to the wanted to criminal, and they are both wanted criminals."

Hiro and Tadashi both laughed lightly. A clock chimed from the kitchen, making Hiro and Tadashi jump.

"It is time for lunch," Baymax said, waddling out of the room. "Do you like soup?"

"Yes," Tadashi and Hiro said in unison, not realizing how hungry they were until now. Baymax led them into the kitchen; an olive green room with a fake scented candle lighting the dark room. Tadashi and Hiro didn't know he could, but Baymax sighed.

"The power has gone out again," Baymax said, pulling chairs out for the boys at the dining room table and bringing in a tray holding two bowls of chicken noodle soup. "It is hot; please do not burn yourselves."

The boys graciously took the soup, thanking Baymax and nearly devouring it they were so hungry.

"I am sorry I did not feed you sooner; I should have scanned you beforehand to see if you were hungry."

"Scanned us?" Hiro asked. Baymax stood looking Hiro up and down for a brief second. Hiro raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Tadashi.

"Uh, Bay-?"

"Scan complete," Baymax said, his stomach lighting up to pull up what looked like a statistic graph for Hiro's body. Hiro and Tadashi gasped in awe.

"You have slight abrasions on your left eye and on your hand. Your body temperature is also low; I will heat your soup."

Baymax sat down and out his hands around Hiro's bowl. Baymax's hands began glowing orange, and Hiro's soup boiled slightly before he took his hands away and put them on Tadashi's.

"Hiro, may I ask how you acquired those injuries?" Baymax asked, finishing Tadashi's soup and sitting back down.

"Uh, yeah," Hiro said, still laughing at how well Baymax worked. "Yeah, um...Alistar Krei gave them to me."

Tadashi cleared his throat and his fists clenched from under the table. Oh, how he _hated_ that man...

"I am sorry," Baymax said, tilting his head. He rose from the table, going next to Hiro and patting his head.

"There, there; you will be all right," Baymax cooed, making Hiro and Tadashi laugh again.

"Thanks, Baymax," Hiro said, smiling up at him.

Baymax nodded, returning to his seat, which was far from the table; he couldn't fit if the chair were too close.

"Baymax," Tadashi said, "had Honey Lemon ever thought about moving somewhere else? It seems if she lived so close to the water, she might want to be somewhere else."

"My master said that these living headquarters were perfect for planning missions; though I full-heartedly agree. This house seems unstable and unsafe. Honey Lemon insisted you would be safe, so I must follow my master's commands."

Hiro and Tadashi nodded, continuing on with their soup.

* * *

I'm sure you know there are two kinds of fears: rational and irrational. Or, in simpler terms, fears that make sense and fears that don't. For instance, the Hamadas had a fear of Alistar Krei, which makes perfect sense because he is an evil man who wants to destroy them. But if they were afraid of lemon meringue pie, that would be an irrational fear because lemon meringue pie is delicious and has never hurt a soul. Being afraid of the man destroying buildings is perfectly rational because the man is quite sinister and destructive. But a fear of the water, or a pond to be more specific, would be a rational fear in this instance.

A man sweeping the inside of a burger restaurant whistled while he worked, happily flipping the "closed" sign to "open" and pulling out his umbrella to observe the busy island of Damocles. People were rushing into grocery stores and then back out, evidently afraid that the horrible villain reining havoc on their city would return and hurt them. The man sighed, eyes stopping when he realized another man under an umbrella was staring at him from nearby.

Alistar Krei stood under his umbrella, glaring at the burger shop owner while rain ricocheted off of his umbrella. The man gasped at the sight of him.

"Alistar Krei," he shuddered. "I didn't think I'd see you again after all that unpleasantness with Mr. Callaghan."

"What are _you_ doing here when a villain is destroying these parts of town?" Alistar asked.

"Thanks to a helpful real estate agent, this restaurant is under new management," the man snarled, clutching his umbrella tighter.

"New management? Don't make me laugh."

"The Hamadas are safe and sound and learning everything they need to know about our secret organization."

"Oh?"

"They should have started training years ago, but it's not too late. Their new guardian is the creation of our most fierce and formidable member."

"Wait, not Callaghan?"

"What? No. Isn't he dead?"

"Is he?"

...

...

"It doesn't matter. All your silly codes can't save you."

"Oh?" the man snarled, glaring at Alistar harder than ever.

"The Hamada boys will be destroyed, and their fortune will be mine. You and your ridiculous comrades will be swept away."

"We'll see about that."

"Yes, we will."

"You can push me around all you want-"

"Thank you."

"But Aiko will stop you! Tadashi will stop you! Hiro will end you! They have incredible gifts!"

"Aiko?"

The man covered his mouth before Alistar shoved him to the ground, where he was carried away by Alistar's employees.

* * *

"I know Honey Lemon's home isn't the warmest."

The boys shivered on the couch as Baymax poured them both coffee. The windows kept blowing open and the rain continued seeping through every crack in the house. Baymax was worried that the boys might hurt themselves somewhere in the house, so he seated them on the warmest couch with several blankets. They thanked him and hugged each other tightly to keep warm.

"I am sorry about the temperature; Aiko says my duty as your guardian is to keep you safe, so I must insist that you spend as much time in a blanket and away from the windows as possible."

The boys nodded, shivering as another breeze blew in. A beeping sound from Baymax made him slouch slightly and tilt his head.

"My battery appears to be low. I must go charge for an hour. This means you boys will be alone for a short time. Is that alright."

"Yes, thank you, Baymax," Hiro said with a smile, sniffing and pulling his blanket further over himself. Baymax nodded, waddling upstairs to his charger. Hiro continued sniffing, snuggling into Tadashi's shoulder. Tadashi draped his arm around him and felt his forehead, which was alarmingly warm.

"Woah, buddy, do you have a fever?" Tadashi sat up straighter, brushing Hiro's bangs out of his face.

"No, 'Dashi," Hiro said sleepily, brushing his bangs back and immediately falling asleep. Tadashi frowned in concern, laying down with a huff. His mind wandered to the answers he was promised from Honey Lemon; he'd only been given a fraction of the answers he'd wanted from Baymax, and he still didn't know how the Lee family was connected to Alistar Krei.

Tadashi wasn't tired anymore and decided to look around the house. Besides, if Hiro was getting sick, he needed to watch him; when Hiro got sick, he got very ill. Standing up to stretch, he walked back to the library to check on the storm. Rain pounded harder and harder on the large window, making the room shake just slightly. Tadashi wasn't surprised, the whole room was the only section of the house hanging off of the cliff. He made a mental reminder not to let Hiro go anywhere near the window.

Taking a sip of his coffee, he turned to leave the room, before something caught his eye.

One of the bookshelves on the right side of the room was moving as the room shook, opening to reveal a wall with a built in safe. Tadashi's eyes widened and he set his cup down to further examine it. He pushed the bookshelf away, crouching down to open the safe only to find it locked.

 _Drat._

Unhooking his hat from his belt loop, he secured it tightly on his head, taking a deep breath and looking at the lock closer.

 _The lock is a four-number code; it's Honey Lemon's lock, it has to be something that's meaningful to her._

 _Fred._

Tadashi quickly dialed the numbers, 3733, and the safe opened with a click. A stack of old photos and envelopes sat in the center, and Tadashi immediately pulled them out. The first thing he saw, making his mouth drop in shock, was a photo of Stan Lee in a superhero suit. It was clearly old, and Stan Lee was flying in the air above San Fransokyo. Tadashi flipped to the next photo; a picture of Honey Lemon modifying Baymax in what looked like a lab. Tadashi flipped to the next to see an unopened envelope from Fred to Honey Lemon. The date on the back read 14/7/28.

 _That was a week ago..._

Not wanting to open the letter, Tadashi flipped to the next paper; a photo of his parents smiling with their thumbs up next to Honey Lemon. Tadashi's eyes widened, taken aback by how close the Lees, the Miyazakis, and even the Hamadas were.

The sound of Baymax's squeaking vinyl made Tadashi gasp, shove the papers back into the safe, and push the shelf back into its place. He then rushed back to the couch and sat down next to Hiro, throwing a blanket over himself and draping an arm over his brother. Baymax entered the room and tilted his head at the boys.

"Scan complete," he said, pulling up a screen of both boys. "Tadashi, you appear to be experiencing headaches. It is suggested that you rest. Hiro is experiencing beginning stages of a fever and should also rest."

"Thank you, Baymax," Tadashi said, holding Hiro tighter as Baymax waddled to the front door.

"It is time to check the mail," he said, shoving himself out of the front door and to the mailbox. Tadashi laughed, listening to Baymax waddle down the sidewalk, until...

"Hello, my name is Bay-"

Before the robot could finish saying whatever he was going to say to whomever, a horrible clicking sound followed by an odd sound from Baymax came from outside caused Tadashi to sit bolt upright to see what was the matter. A low laugh echoed, and Baymax walked back into the house, rushing to the kitchen and starting a new batch of coffee. A man followed after him.

Alistar Krei. In costume. Again.

This time, Alistar's costume made him look like a sailor. He wore a long, navy blue jacket, a red and white striped scarf, and a dark red sweater. His left leg was replaced by a wooden peg. Tadashi did nothing but stare and stutter in horror as Krei followed Baymax into the kitchen and Baymax made him coffee. Tadashi took action after he realized what must have happened.

 _Krei must have done something to Baymax so that he wouldn't think he's Krei..._

"Uh, Baymax?" Tadashi asked, glaring at Krei.

"Yes, Tadashi?" Baymax asked, pouring cream into Krei's coffee.

"This man isn't a sea captain; you know that, right? This man is Alistar Krei."

"Krei!" Alistar roared, slamming a fist on the table. "I'm offended, young man! How dare you compare me to such a horrible man!"

Baymax said nothing, handing Krei his cup of coffee.

"But-he has a tattoo on his left ankle!" Tadashi cried, pointing at his leg.

"Son, my leg was devoured during my duties as a sailboat rental agent!" Krei sneered, referring to his wooden leg. "My name is Captain Sham, and my home is the sea!"

"This is Tadashi," Baymax said, putting his large hand on Tadashi's shoulder. "That boy over there is Hiro."

"Ah, yes, the famous Hamada orphans. I've heard so much about you two. I'd love to take you on a boat ride sometime! Maybe even very far away!"

Baymax, again, said nothing, waddling away to the next room. Krei turned to smirk at Tadashi.

"So, long time no see," Krei grinned, going around the kitchen and examining the house.

"You'll never get away with this," Tadashi sneered.

"Get away with what? I'm just an innocent sea captain."

"You're not a sea captain."

"Oh, you're just full of facts, aren't you, Tadashi? But none of them do you any good. Just like your poor old uncle, Stan. And your parents; may they rest in _ashes._ "

"Stop it!" Tadashi growled, fists clenched as he stepped in front of the couch his brother slept on. "Leave my family alone!"

"Ah, Hiro!" Krei said excitedly, rounding the counter to get a closer look at him. "The poor boy looks like he's getting pneumonia or something dangerous, wouldn't that be unfortunate?"

"Over my dead body he gets pneumonia," Tadashi glanced back at Hiro while he spoke; what if he did get really sick? What would he do? Was Baymax equipped enough to take care of him? "Just get out of here! What did you do to Baymax?"

"Nothing that can't be undone, but enough to make him unable to scan anyone. He won't be able to tell who I am, and I can take you away. But later, orphan, I have things to do in town. I'll be back, don't wait up."

Krei limped out of the room, waving a taxi to a stop down the road and getting in the back. Tadashi stared at the ground in silence.

 _What the hell just happened?_

Either way, Tadashi had to follow Krei into town; find an adult and make them stop him from doing any more damage. He grabbed his blazer from a coat hanger next to the door.

"Baymax, watch Hiro! I'll be right back."

"Okay."

Before Tadashi could make it 10 feet away from the porch, Krei's employees were pulling up to the house in an old car; the windows rolled down. Tadashi gulped as they all stuck their heads out, grinning at him.

"Going somewhere?"

"You really shouldn't be going anywhere this late; there's a very dangerous criminal wandering around this town."

"Go back inside with your brother; it's safer."

Tadashi rolled his eyes, marching back to the house and slamming the door.

 _Maybe there's another way out..._

"We have to go."

Tadashi whipped around to meet a pale-faced Hiro throwing his blanket to the ground and standing up to put his red hoodie on.

"Hiro, no. It's not safe, and you're sick-"

"I just woke up when Krei's employees got here. There has to be another way out. We can climb out the library window; it's a 300-foot drop but not a dangerous climb-"

"Hiro..."

"Then, we call the cops. We take Baymax out of this place. We go off the map, stay in an alleyway somewhere-"

"Hiro, stop!" Tadashi yelled, grabbing Hiro's shoulders and bending over just slightly so that they were at eye level. Hiro closed his eyes and squinted at Tadashi's loud voice, dropping his shoulders and walking to the library. It had gotten dark outside, but the sky was still a dark purple and lightning still struck rapidly in different areas. Rain pounded harder and harder against the window.

"Tadashi..." Hiro sighed, walking to a chair next to the window and holding his head in his hands. "We have no one. Honey Lemon is God knows where, Stan is dead, our parents are dead, and Baymax has been hijacked. Krei is gonna kidnap you and then I'll end up in the system and we'll never see each other again. We'll never live in a world with no Krei."

Tadashi's eyes wide at Hiro's sudden words, licking suddenly dry lips and going to sit next to Hiro.

"Hiro, you know I'll never let that happen, right?"

"Don't Tadashi. Don't reassure me like some kid. I'm only two years younger than you; I'm fifteen. I don't need that. I need answers; I need closure, I need to stop Krei."

Tadashi said nothing, grabbing Hiro's hand and sinking into his chair with a heavy sigh.

"Hiro, we'll be separated by Krei over my dead body, all right?"

Hiro groaned, laying back and falling back asleep.

* * *

"Now, lead me to this robot!"

Tadashi woke up with a start, whipping around to see Krei walking into the house with Wasabi. He gasped, running into the main room to see what was going on.

"Wasabi, what are you doing here?" Tadashi asked in a panic. Wasabi waved his hand, looking around the house in disgust.

"I've got a complaint from this man, a close neighbor of yours, that says your robot guardian has not been functional. I had no choice but to come here immediately to see what exactly is wrong."

"He's upstairs!" Krei insisted, leading Wasabi up the steps toward Baymax's charger. Tadashi cursed under his breath, taking the steps two at a time and following Wasabi and Krei.

"There he is!" Krei pointed at a red suitcase, rushing over and clicking a button on its side. At once, Baymax inflated from the center of the box, rising and waving at Wasabi. Wasabi pushed Baymax off of his charger, walking around him with his hand on his chin.

"Hm, let's see, vinyl, hyperspectral cameras, carbon fiber skeleton...Baymax, scan me."

The robot did nothing, blinking at Wasabi and tilting his head.

"A glitch in the robot!" Wasabi exclaimed.

"How on earth could that have been placed inside of this poor robot?" Krei asked dramatically, putting a hand to his forehead. "This robot is damaged beyond repair; these boys may have to stay with me for the time being, or maybe even longer given the circumstances."

"I couldn't agree more!" Wasabi nodded, pressing another button on the side of Baymax's head and causing him to shrink back into his charger. Tadashi scoffed.

"Just like that? You're handing us to our neighbor? Wasabi, that's Alistar Krei!"

"Tadashi, get it together," Wasabi rolled his eyes. "Krei is probably far from this place by now, running from the law. Why would he return just to see you? That's selfish thinking, really. This man's name is Captain Sham. Not Alistar Krei."

"That's right," Krei beamed, shaking Wasabi's hand.

"We'll just go over some paperwork over at that hamburger shop in town," Wasabi said, going back down the steps. Krei shot Tadashi a smirk as he followed.

"What is going on here?" Hiro asked, coming out of the library looking greener than ever. Tadashi, Krei, and Wasabi grimaced at him.

"I'm your new father!" Krei cheered, stepping in front of Wasabi with his arms out to Hiro. Hiro raised an eyebrow in confusion, glancing over at Tadashi.

"I'm sorry- _what_?"

"After some very thorough paperwork, yes, Captain Sham will be taking care of you boys," Wasabi confirmed, smiling at Krei. Hiro's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"You're kidding."

"Grab your coats, boys; we're going out to lunch to go over paperwork."

"We aren't going to lunch with that villain," Tadashi said, walking to stand next to his brother.

"Oh, yes you are," Wasabi scoffed. "I wanna get out of this town as quickly as possible, what with that mysterious man tearing all that stuff apart. Let's go!"

Tadashi and Hiro rolled their eyes and groaned, grabbing their shoes and jackets and going out to the car with Krei and Wasabi.

You probably know of a plant called the Venus flytrap which grows in the tropics and in the apartments of certain lonely people. The top of the plant is shaped like an open mouth with toothlike spikes around the edges. When a fly attracted to the smell of the flower lands on the Venus flytrap, the mouth of the plant begins to close, trapping the terrified fly, who slowly, slowly, slowly dissolves into nothing. As Hiro and Tadashi arrived at their lunch with Krei and Wasabi, they felt as helpless as a fly as Alistar Krei's scheme closed around them. Sadly, they would not learn for a long time that someone was there, desperately trying to help them.

Honey Lemon.

* * *

"Welcome to the Friendly Cow Restaurant, I'm Larry, your waiter."

Tadashi and Hiro's frustration grew at the fact that their waiter was one of Krei's employees in another disguise.

"I can see that we have a whole family dining with us today, so allow me to recommend the Family Appetizer."

"That sounds fantastic!" Krei said excitedly. "Family Appetizer for a special family."

"I just want water," Hiro said, and Tadashi requested the same. Krei waved the waiter off.

The waiter went back into the kitchen, chuckling as the other employees threatened the tied-up restaurant owner.

"Do as we say, or we'll throw you to the criminal!" one employee snarled.

"You'll never defeat us!" the man spat. "You can threaten us and break us, but you'll never tear us down."

The employees laughed, shaking their heads and starting on the burgers.

Meanwhile, back in the dining area...

"I want to emphasize straightaway that the Hamada fortune will still be under my supervision until Tadashi comes of age."

"What fortune?" Krei asked innocently. "I don't know about any fortune."

"The Hamada parents have left behind an enormous fortune that the boys will inherit when Tadashi is old enough."

"Oh, I have no interest in an estate. I've got my sailboats."

The waiter returned with their drinks, rushing back into the kitchen right after. They all shrugged, taking out their straws. Tadashi and Hiro scoffed.

"Wasabi, this is Alistar Krei!"

"Who, the waiter? He did seem odd-"

"No, Captain Sham!" Hiro insisted. "He's done something horrible to Baymax. He's scheming to get our fortune."

"Hiro, I've been more than patient with you. I understand the emotional effect this whole ordeal had had on you, as I imagine it would have on many people. I've done the best I can to find a suitable home for you, but nothing I do seems to be good enough. And now, faced with a perfectly legal last will and testament that will place you in the care of Captain Sham, you start to sprout these wild accusations. Now, please, end it now."

The waiter returned with their food, and Hiro, glaring at Krei, whispered something in the waiter's ear. The waiter nodded, rushing back to the kitchen. Krei watched him go in confusion, as did Tadashi.

"If we could just go back to Baymax's house," Tadashi started, "Hiro is feeling sick, and-"

"Now, Captain Sham, I have some papers in my briefcase that I need you to sign."

"And then the boys will be mine?"

"You'll be caring for them, yes."

The waiter returned with the bill on a tray, peanuts placed on top of the receipt.

"Take your time," he assured them. Tadashi glanced at the peanuts but rolled his eyes, taking a swig of his water. Hiro, however, grabbed a peanut.

Everyone is allergic to something. Whether it is gluten, injustice, dark chocolate, corruption, pollen, or common decency. Hiro was allergic to peanuts. His allergies were notoriously quick-acting and powerful. Of course, if you are allergic to a thing, it is best not to put that thing in your mouth, particularly is the things is cats. But Hiro knew this was an emergency. So while Mr. Wasabi began to tell a very boring story, Hiro cracked his peanut and placed it in his mouth.

Wasabi continued on with his story laughing for about five minutes until he noticed a large, red blotch forming on Hiro's wrist, which he itched at tirelessly.

"Hiro, you look terrible!" Wasabi said. Tadashi raised an eyebrow, turning to Hiro and gasping. His eyes darted down to the cracked peanut shells in front of his brother. Hiro turned and winked at Tadashi.

"I've had an allergic reaction," Hiro said, his voice raspy. "I think my throat is swelling and I'd like to go home."

"Excellent idea," Wasabi said, rushing around to feel Hiro's forehead. "And a fever, poor thing. Go home and rest while we work this out!"

Tadashi bolted up from his seat, taking Hiro by the arm and thanking Wasabi. He rushed out of the restaurant with his brother and began on the route home.

"Hiro, what the _hell_ were you thinking?" Tadashi cried, running through the pounding rain. He waved off a taxi and led Hiro into the car.

"What elth wath I thuppothed to do?" Hiro asked, covering his mouth in shame at his lisp. "It'll go down, but we have to thave Baymaxth."

Tadashi rolled his eyes. This was a horrible idea, but Hiro was right. They had to save Baymax and get out of here before Krei took them away for good. He shrugged, looking out the window at the intensifying rain pouring down the window. Before he knew it, they had arrived home, and they rushed to the library. Tadashi took Hiro by the shoulders.

"Hiro, I'm going to go see if Baymax has a cure for your reaction. In the meantime, I need you to look for any clue you can. Whether it be a sign of a break in from Krei or a note from Honey Lemon, search around. We don't have much time."

"Okay, can you asthk Baymaxth if he hath any medithine for a fever?"

Tadashi sighed but nodded in concern, rushing upstairs. Hiro immediately began looking around the room until a rolled up piece of parchment caught his eye. He unrolled it and laid it out on the table in the center of the room.

They were blueprints for Baymax.

Hiro grinned, looking at every little detail that Krei could have possibly been smart enough to hack.

 _Jackpot,_ he grinned, pointing at Baymax's chest. An access port was built into his left side, containing all of his information and memory in a chip or multiple chips. Krei must have added a chip to Baymax that stopped him from scanning and identifying patients.

"Hiro, Baymax had some medicine-"

 _CRACK_

Suddenly, the whole library itself began to creak and tilt, making Hiro sway and fall to the ground. The room tilted and Hiro grabbed the door frame just in time.

Tadashi stood at the end of the hallway, horror struck.

 _The house is falling apart._

"Tadashi, the medithine!" Hiro insisted with his hand out. Tadashi threw the bottle of medicine into Hiro's hand. He drank it quickly before rain began pouring into the room and he lost grip of the slippery door frame. The rug underneath him slid, bringing Hiro with it as he glided down the tilted library and toward the drop to the ocean. The room tilted back to normal suddenly, and Hiro got to his feet and ran to a terrified Tadashi before it tilted again and Hiro went flipping through the air and in front of the large broken window. He landed on his stomach, a picture of his parents and Stan Lee caught on a torn glass shard. Hiro's eyes widened as he grabbed the photo, rain pounding harder and harder on the house. Hiro pulled out his glasses desperately to protect his eyes-

In one swift movement, the rug underneath Hiro flipped over and caught on a torn glass shard, throwing Hiro out of the house as he dangled helplessly over the 300-foot drop to the ocean. He looked down in horror to see a large portal forming out of a whirlpool from the ocean, just like the portal Baymax described the dangerous criminal had used. It sucked large chunks of wood from the house and the rug Hiro held onto began to rip.

"HIRO!" cried Tadashi. Hiro whipped his head to the side to see Tadashi sticking his head out from the side of the house. He was screaming for Hiro and cursing loudly through the storm. A man in a black trenchcoat emerged from the water, protected by several _microbots._ He threw his hand out and in an instant a stream of microbots shot out at Hiro and grabbed his ankle, furiously yanking Hiro into the portal. Hiro yelled and held on to the rug tighter, trying to climb back inside of the house. Tadashi continued screaming from inside in dread as he watched Hiro struggle to come back inside.

"Hiro! Hiro! HIRO!"

The house flipped back to normal again and threw Hiro back through the window, slamming him on the wooden floor. He rushed to his feet and ran to the hallway where a crying Tadashi was. Hiro grabbed Baymax's box from the foot of the stairs and ran outside with Tadashi and they threw themselves to the ground as the rest of the house felt apart and into the ocean below.

Tadashi made sure Hiro and himself were far enough away from the house before he pulled Hiro into a bone crushing hug, running his shaky hands through Hiro's soaking wet hair.

"What the _hell-_ the house fell apart-you almost got sucked into a portal-who was that?-what is going on?-we need to get as far away from here as possible-Hiro!"

Tadashi sobbed into Hiro's shoulder. Hiro held on to Tadashi as if he were a lifeline, coughing and sputtering helplessly. He looked over at the ocean from the cliff to see the portal being sucked back into the water and the masked man following after it. He looked on in shock, resting his head on Tadashi and breathing heavily.

* * *

"'Weather permitting.'"

"What does that mean?"

"It means the ferry isn't running at all!"

"Then how are we supposed to get out of here?!"

Hiro and Tadashi argued in the pouring rain next to the docks, cursing in failure at the fact that there was currently no safe way to get across this part of the ocean and to San Fransokyo. Hiro looked around frantically until he noticed a line of rowboats next to a restaurant. Hiro grinned, nudging Tadashi's shoulder and pointing at the boats.

"Pirate style," he said, grabbing Baymax's box and jogging over to the boats.

"We're gonna steal a sailboat and sail over the waters where a mysterious man tried to kill you ten minutes ago?! Absolutely NOT!"

"We're stealing these too!" Hiro said, tossing Tadashi a blue raincoat from a hook on the wall and taking one for himself and one to cover Baymax. He hopped in the boat and untied it from the dock, looking up at Tadashi hopefully.

Tadashi sighed in defeat, stepping inside the boat and walking over to the sail as Hiro pushed the boat away from the dock.

Sailing across a large body of water during a storm offers a plethora of challenges. Your boat might be tossed into a whirlpool or dashed to bits on a large rock. And even if you were lucky enough to spy the faint purple beam of the Lavender Lighthouse, it would be an outright miracle if your boat were not destroyed.

Hiro stood near the sail while Tadashi stirred the boat from the back. The boat shook violently at the rising waves and hammering rain. Eventually, the water calmed down, and Hiro and Tadashi sighed quietly in the rain, sitting down next to each other with wide eyes.

"Wow..." Hiro said, catching his breath and rubbing his eyes. Tadashi put an arm around him, looking around for any sign of land.

"Hiro, look, a cave," Tadashi pointed toward a large cave to the right. "San Fransokyo is too far away right now, but we can stay in that cave until tomorrow. We'll rest and let Baymax make sure we're safe, all right?"

Hiro, feeling rather ill, nodded gratefully.

Tadashi nodded back, steering the boat toward the large cave. Once they hit land, Tadashi grabbed Baymax and Hiro hopped out of the boat. Before they entered, however, they stopped at the sound of a woman whispering from inside of the cave. Tadashi stepped in front of Hiro, walking cautiously toward the sound and gasping at what he saw.

"H-Honey Lemon?"

Indeed, Honey Lemon turned around from a fire she had built, looking at Tadashi and Hiro in shock.

"Hiro? Tadashi? What are you guys doing here? It's not safe," she rose from the ground, walking toward the boys. She wore a large yellow sweater that went down to her knees with a navy blue shirt on underneath and yellow leggings, though they were dirty. Her hair fell down to her waist and her glasses were also dirty.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Tadashi asked. "We thought you were supposed to be stopping Krei."

"Yes, well, as you can see, my plan failed. I'm sorry I couldn't save you guys. I tried everything I could but Krei is a lot smarter than he looks. Come on, sit by the fire. You brought Baymax!"

Honey Lemon excitedly took Baymax's box from Tadashi, setting him on the ground and activating him.

"Hello, I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion. Hello, Aiko."

"Baymax!" Honey Lemon grinned, hugging the large robot in relief and leading him over to the boys next to the fire.

"I shall scan you all now."

...

...

...

"Scan complete. Aiko, you appear to be starved and your body temperature is low. As goes for Tadashi and Hiro, though Hiro is catching a dangerous fever. Rest is suggested."

Tadashi nodded, covering Hiro in his red hoodie and letting him rest next to the fire.

"Honey Lemon, if you don't mind me asking, what's going on? What happened?"

"It's not good, Tadashi," Honey Lemon sighed, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "My assistant, Gogo-erhm, I mean Leiko-was supposed to get back to me weeks ago on Krei. I'm afraid something horrible has happened to her. Plus the sudden death of my colleague has put almost everything on hold. He was our key to putting Krei behind bars. Stan has been compromised, my own home was compromised; I watched it fall from the cave. That Alistar Krei is definitely the man destroying buildings with portals, if not someone else I know, but that theory is kind of ridiculous. I have reason to believe Fred may still be alive, but I have little to go off of. And Hiro is right; Alistar's plans for you aren't good. He plans to kill Hiro and take you away. I took his journal; he was planning to kill him over lunch today."

Tadashi gasped, putting a hand to his mouth in horror. Over lunch? Kill Hiro?

"Oh my god," Tadashi mumbled, eyes fixed on Hiro's sleeping form. "Is Alistar the reason he's sick?"

"Yes. He created a serum of some sort. he must have put it in him when you weren't looking or ordered Baymax to give it to him. Either way, he was going to spike Hiro's drink with the other half of the serum and that would have killed him. It was a good thing Hiro thought about the peanuts, though. Smart kid. I watched it all from my surveillance recorder," Honey Lemon pulled out a large tablet from behind her. Tadashi put his head in his hands, trying to comprehend what he had just been told. Hiro's life was almost taken today-well, in more ways than one-just because of how careless and clueless Tadashi had been.

"I don't believe it..." Tadashi moaned, rubbing his eyes. This whole ordeal was giving him the biggest headache.

"Believe it," Honey Lemon groaned. "I was being sloppy, that's how I ended up in this cave to begin with. Krei caught me in the act, knocked me unconscious. Next thing I knew, I was here, with no way back to Damocles and no way to communicate other than my surveillance recorder. I tried everything to get to you guys. Nothing worked. But thanks to you, we'll get back to shore together. You won't stay with Krei and you'll come to live in San Fransokyo with me. We can put a stop to Krei and find you guys somewhere to stay that isn't suggested by Wasabi. I want you to stay with me, but I'm not old enough. Your parents wanted to raise you quietly, away from the fiery injustices threatening us all, even me when I was young. They were trying to keep you safe. Maybe we'll work something out, but in the meantime, we should rest; we have to sail all the way to San Fransokyo tomorrow and we won't have much time to waste."

Tadashi sighed but nodded, laying down next to Hiro while Honey Lemon nestled up next to Baymax.

Within seconds, Tadashi was fast asleep, haunted by nightmares of Hiro's funeral or a birthday spent with Alistar Krei.

* * *

"Tadashi, Hiro, we have to go."

Tadashi woke with a stir, sitting up at Honey Lemon's call. She was packing Baymax up and gathering her other things. Tadashi shook Hiro's shoulder. He sat up, looking around in confusion before memories of last night flooded in. Hiro understood, going outside to get the boat ready.

"Wear your raincoats," Honey Lemon called out. "It's still raining outside."

Honey Lemon and Tadashi threw their hoods on. Honey Lemon used the raincoat Tadashi and Hiro used to protect Baymax while Baymax's case was wrapped in Honey Lemon's sweater. Tadashi made sure Hiro was safe in the boat before helping Honey Lemon on and pushing the boat away from the cave.

"Head north," Honey said, pulling out a compass and holding it in front of Tadashi. "If the winds pick up we should hopefully be there by lunch. Let's just hope the rain stops."

Tadashi had honestly gotten so used to the rain he had forgotten it was even raining. He quickly began taking his coat off to put it around Hiro.

"No, Tadashi, stop," Hiro groaned, shoving the jacket in Tadashi's lap. "You won't do us any good if you get sick too. Put it back on."

Tadashi looked at Hiro in uncertainty but nevertheless draped the jacket back over his shoulders.

After sailing for about thirty minutes, San Fransokyo became clearer and clearer, besides all of the rain. But then, it happened.

The microbots that had attacked Hiro yesterday at the house were circling them in the water, getting smaller and smaller around the boat.

"Uh-oh," Honey Lemon shrieked.

"We'll be fine," Hiro said hopefully, pulling out an oar from the bottom of the boat. "We just have to distract them."

Hiro put the oar in the water, but the second it touched, the microbots lurched forward and snatched the oar right out of Hiro's hands, chopping it into little pieces.

"Uh-oh," Hiro mumbled. Tadashi gulped, hoisting the sail further out in hopes of quickening the boat's pace. It hardly did anything.

"What do we do now?!" cried Tadashi, grabbing the other oar and trying to push the microbots away. Honey Lemon helped him.

"Fire alarms," Hiro said.

"What?"

"Fire alarms. We need a light and we need something to make noise with. Like a fire alarm. We need to signal for help."

Tadashi nodded and Honey Lemon pressed a button on the side of Baymax's carrier. The carrier began making the sound of a wailing siren.

"In case of emergencies," Honey Lemon winked. A stream of microbots shot out in the center of the boat, making all three of them scream in terror as the gaping hole in the center of the boat filled with water. Hiro nodded, breaking off a piece of wood from the sail.

"Honey Lemon, I need your scarf," Hiro said, his hand out. Honey Lemon hesitated but nodded, taking off her scarf and tossing it to Hiro. Hiro wrapped the scarf around the stick.

"How are we gonna light this thing?" Tadashi asked, crouching down to help Hiro. Hiro closed his eyes in concentration.

"The scientific principle of the divergence and refraction of light," Hiro mumbled, staring down at the stick. He looked over at Honey Lemon, who held a handbag to her chest. She looked at him and then her bag, taking it off and handing it to Hiro. Hiro took out a pair of binoculars. "If I can catch enough light from the Lavender Lighthouse beam...it just seems unlikely."

"Try your best," Tadashi said, grabbing his shoulder. Hiro nodded, pointing the binoculars at the stick and the scarf and waiting for the beam to hit their way.

"It's not working, the angle is wrong!" Hiro cursed under his breath as the boat sunk further into the water. Suddenly, the beam hit the binocular glass and the scarf and stick lit on fire, dancing viciously.

"You did it," Tadashi laughed. Hiro grinned, going up to the sail and noticing pegs on the side. If he could climb them then someone would see him easier. Nodding to himself, he climbed the pole and waved the stick frantically.

"Help!" he called as Honey Lemon raised Baymax so that his siren would be heard. The roar of a horn caught their attention and they all whipped around to see a large ferry emerging out of the fog. Hiro smiled in satisfaction, climbing down the steps only to miss one and be caught by Tadashi. The sound of the ferry caused the microbots to swim away quickly, and the boat moved next to the ferry and lowered a set of stairs. The three teenagers climbed the steps in confusion, looking around for any sign of human life. Hiro skipped a few steps ahead of the other two to investigate.

When he turned the corner, however, he wished he hadn't.

Krei stood grinning at Hiro, his large dagger pointed at Hiro's throat. Hiro gulped, glaring at Krei fiercely as Tadashi and Honey Lemon also turned the corner. Before they could reach out to help Hiro, Krei's employees were grabbing Honey Lemon and Tadashi and ripping Baymax's case away from them.

"You can stop faking your death or whatever it was you were planning to do," Krei scoffed, grabbing Hiro and facing Honey Lemon and Tadashi. "I've had to ferry around these godforsaken waters searching for you."

"Parenting is exhausting," an employee said.

"You're not out parent and you never will be!" Tadashi growled.

"On the contrary," Krei smirked. "Mr. Wasabi is putting the finishing touches on your adoption papers this very moment. In a few hours, you will become Hiro and Tadashi sham, though I never intended for the both of you to join the family."

"That's right," Tadashi bellowed. "You nearly killed Hiro over lunch yesterday, Honey Lemon told me all about it. You're a monster, and once we tell Wasabi that you tried to poison Hiro, he'll shred those papers into a thousand pieces!"

"And who is Mr. Wasabi going to believe? The owner of a lakeside rental agency, or two runaway boys who go around stealing boats?"

"We only stole that boat to get the hell away from your schemes and we found a friend along the way," Tadashi said. Krei snapped his way toward Honey.

"Is this true?"

"Yes, it's true," Honey Lemon glared. "And it still is. I'm taking these guys away from this place."

"After everything we've been through together?" Krei smirked, closing in on Honey Lemon. "Even after I murdered your poor friend? What was his name-Fred?"

Honey's anger flooded her senses and she threw the employee's arm off from around her waist.

"Yes! I was going to take them away! These boys have been fierce escaping your clutches, and what have I done all these years? Nothing but hide in sewers and track you down! Well, enough of that. I've had enough of your schemes! I've had enough of your plots-"

Suddenly, from the waters below, the portal that had sucked Honey Lemon's house the day before came from the water, causing a whirlpool of glowing purple and pink to swirl to the right side of the boat. Everyone gasped, backing away from it.

"Bloody hell!" Krei cried, snatching himself and Hiro away from the railing of the ship. The boat rocked at the unevenness of the waters, and almost everyone fell to the ground. Baymax inflated at the sounds of distress, causing Krei to smirk.

In one swift movement, Krei tossed Hiro to one of his employees and threw Baymax toward the whirlpool.

"NO! Baymax!" Hiro cried, running after him and grabbing his large, fluffy hand.

"Hiro?" Baymax looked around, taking in what had just happened and tilting his head. He dangled over the ship's railing and flailed around in the wind as the portal became brighter and brighter underneath him. A thought popped into Hiro's head and out of pure panic he put it into action. Hiro pressed Baymax's access port, the one he had researched about before he fell out of the window. Two key chips were in the access port, a green and a purple. Hiro noticed the Krei Tech K on the purple and threw it into the portal. He took out the green one and pocketed it.

"I'll see you again, Baymax!" Hiro said, letting go of Baymax and watching in dread as he was sucked into the portal. Hiro looked back at a relieved Honey Lemon.

"Good thinking, Hiro," she said with a smile. Tadashi smiled too. Krei, however, did not.

"Fools!" he growled, grabbing Hiro again and pulling out his knife. "My plan will work whether you like it or not!"

Krei smirked again as he grabbed Hiro by the throat and dangled him over the portal.

"Any last words?" he whispered in Hiro's ear. Hiro said nothing, the rain pouring down his head in what felt like gallons. He heard Tadashi scream in the background and Honey Lemon weeping. He even heard some of the employees yelling at Krei. But Hiro said nothing. He knew this was going to happen. He knew about Alistar's scheme. He just wasn't entirely sure it would really work. But it did. And for some reason, he was rather fine with it. Why was he okay with this? Instinct slowly kicked in and he fought to get free, but to no avail.

Krei let go.

The horrible feeling of dropping overcame him, but when he looked down, the portal had gone, and he fell into the ocean, sinking deeper under the large waves of the storm before swimming to the top and gasping for air. He looked up at the ship. Krei threw Honey Lemon in after him, and she fell into the water right next to him.

Tadashi screamed, looking over the ship and reaching out for Hiro desperately. Krei covered Tadashi's mouth and dragged him away.

 _Wait..._

"NO!" Hiro cried, realizing what had just happened. Krei had tried to kill Hiro again and kidnap Tadashi and this time his plan actually worked. The ship honked and began to sail away. Hiro swam after it. "No! No, no, no! Tadashi! No!"

"Hiro-stop!" Honey Lemon yelled, swimming and sputtering after Hiro. Hiro saw Tadashi near the railing of the ship. An employee was tying him to a chair at the front. Tadashi continued screaming for Hiro.

"HIRO!" Tadashi yelled, fighting off the employee and trying to jump overboard. The employee was too strong and forced Tadashi into the chair, twisting rope around the chair and keeping him still. "NO! You can't do this! I need my brother! He needs me! I can't leave him!"

"TADASHI!" Hiro yelled again, still swimming after them. The ship picked up speed and Hiro saw the employee tape Tadashi's mouth shut.

"HIRO-MM!"

"NO! STOP!" Hiro kicked and thrashed after the ship only to be stopped by Honey Lemon. She held onto him tightly and Hiro saw with one last glance Tadashi's wide eyes looking on at him as the employee pushed the chair away from Hiro's view. Hiro floated in the water, mouth open and eyes wide, watching his brother sail away.

"We'll get him back," Honey Lemon reassured him, gasping for air in the large waves. "We will. You'll see him again, I promise. I promise."

Hiro did nothing to indicate that he was listening or that he even heard her. Instead, he shook Honey Lemon off and swam to find shore. Seeing as they were right next to a small island anyway, Hiro paddled to it, collapsing on the sand. Honey Lemon followed suit and they rolled on their backs.

"I should have fought back," Hiro stammered, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I should have fought for him. I should have held on to something. I should have kept swimming."

"That ship was heading toward San Fransokyo, most likely Krei Tech," Honey Lemon said. "We just get to San Fransokyo and track him down. We rebuild Baymax. Make him stronger. And then, we fight Krei. We put him in jail and we get your brother back. He'll be okay, Krei won't hurt a hair on his head."

"How do you know?" Hiro said, voice cracking. "He's tried to kill me countless times. Who's to say he won't hurt Tadashi? Or kill him too?"

Honey Lemon said nothing, grabbing Hiro's hand and squeezing it. They sat watching the clouds and the storm roll away, the stars underneath the clouds revealing themselves and shining brightly for everyone to see. Hiro smiled slightly, as did Honey Lemon.

The calm was soon interrupted.

As if on cue, a pair of headlights and the sound of a motor running made Hiro and Honey Lemon sit bolt upright. It was a boat, sailing right their direction and skidding to a halt on the shore of the island.

Two figures stepped off, both wearing masks. One took her's off; a woman with short black hair, a purple streak, a leather jacket, and torn jeans walked toward the two, followed by the other figure. This one stepped in front of the boat's headlights, taking off his mask and tossing it in the boat.

It was Stan Lee's son, Fred.

Fred smiled at Honey Lemon, walking towards the two and sticking his hand out.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **hope you guys like this chapter. i tried to update quick because there's only one more chapter left probably and school starts again in a few days. also yes, fred is alive. get pumped XD**


	5. The Battle for a Brother

I have chosen that I will not be narrating this chapter. I don't deserve to. You might blame me for everything, but Krei is to blame. He destroyed paradise. He killed people. All for the sake of "science." He's to blame for everything.

Everything.

* * *

 **OPERATION: SUNFIRE**

" _Fred!"_

Honey Lemon tackled Fred and they both went tumbling into the water. Fred yelped and Honey Lemon laughed in pure relief. She hugged his neck tightly and he draped his arms around her. The woman that Fred had brought with him scoffed next to Hiro.

"Nerds," she grinned, turning to Hiro and sticking her hand out. "My name's Leiko, but call me Gogo. You must be Hiro."

"Y-yeah," Hiro shook her hand. "What exactly is going on?"

"Don't worry, you'll get those answers you were promised. Finally. Everything will be explained. And we'll get Tadashi back, I promise."

Hiro couldn't help but trust Gogo, so he simply nodded and approached Fred and Honey Lemon.

"I thought you were DEAD!" Honey Lemon suddenly bellowed, shoving Fred off of her and standing up. "You abandoned me! What were you thinking?!"

"Honey Lemon, I'll explain-god! I will!"

Honey Lemon growled, taking Hiro's hand and leading him to the boat. They sat down in the back and waited to depart from the small island as Fred and Gogo hopped on, starting the engine and making sure they got everything. Then, they were heading toward the foggy outline of San Fransokyo.

Hiro had almost forgotten how pretty the city the city was because he found himself sighing in relief at the sight of it. This was his home, and he surprisingly glad to be going back. He smiled emotionally at it and Honey Lemon noticed.

"Glad to be going home?" she asked, rubbing Hiro's shoulder.

"Erhm, where is home exactly?" Hiro asked. "I mean, where are we going?"

"Mi casa!" Fred grinned from the stirring wheel. "That's french for 'home.'"

"It's really...not," Honey Lemon sighed, rubbing her arms to keep from the cold. As San Fransokyo got closer, Hiro's suspicions and questions grew. Did Fred really mean they were going back to the Microbot Mansion? And how were they gonna get Tadashi? That was his main concern. He shuddered in disgust at the thought. Krei had probably told Tadashi that Hiro had died at sea and now Krei was probably planning to get rid of him or something terrible. He couldn't bear the thought.

Fred pulled up to the San Fransokyo docks, tying the boat to a wooden column and helping everybody off. They walked to a white car in the parking lot ahead and Fred began driving them to the mansion. Hiro felt strange driving down the road again, especially without Tadashi by his side. He shook his head again.

 _Stop thinking about where he is now and start thinking about how to get him back._

They pulled up to the house, and Heathcliffe greeted the group at the front door. He beamed at Hiro in delight.

"Hiro! Where's your brother Tadashi?"

Honey Lemon scolded Heathcliffe and whispered a subtle "not now" to him, which he fully understood. He gave the group access to the house and led them to a room far down the hallway. Stan had told them it was the only room they weren't allowed to go inside of. Fred clapped his hands twice and the doors of the room opened automatically. Hiro couldn't believe what he saw inside.

Dozens of action figures, posters, and statues of superheroes surrounded the room in cases and display glasses. There was a large TV and a large white couch was in front of it. Honey Lemon rolled her eyes as she walked in.

"I can't believe you kept all of this _junk_ , Freddie."

"Me neither," Gogo groaned.

"This is _not_ junk!" Fred scolded, going to pick up one of his action figures. "They're collectibles!"

"Excuse me?" Hiro spoke up, making the three teenagers turn their heads towards him in an instant, almost forgetting he was even there. "Can someone tell me what exactly is going on? Or what will happen? Or what the hell Krei did with my brother?"

"Right, little dude!" Fred beamed, leading Hiro to the white couch and taking a seat next to him. "Yes, right, your answers. Gogo? Wanna help me out with the story a little?"

Gogo shrugged, walking around to sit on the other side of Hiro. Honey Lemon followed suit.

"Feel free to stop us at any time or ask questions," Honey Lemon assured him, grabbing his hand.

The gesture, though small and simple, made Hiro feel safe.

"Okay," Fred took a deep breath. "So. It all started seventeen years ago, shortly before Tadashi was born. Your parents worked for Alistar Krei. They were making plenty of money and everything was going great. Beatrice, your mother, got a promotion and was working side by side with Krei day after day. After a while, Krei began to reveal his dark side to her, and he learned about your fortune. The Hamada fortune had been in your family for generations. Why no one ever used it earlier, I don't know, but it's Tadashi's now. Beatrice eventually quit her job at Krei Tech to escape from his clutches. The Hamada fortune could have been a huge milestone for Alistar Krei, but luckily, your mother was smart enough to resign early. After she left, your father followed suit, and your parents invented the most brilliant thing. The Hamada spy glass."

"Like the one Alistar took from me?" Hiro asked in shock.

"Right, yes," Honey Lemon sighed, digging through her wet pocket and pulling out Hiro's spy glass. He gasped, taking it out of her hands and shaking the water off.

"Anyways, that spy glass is broken, but the complete thing was one of the profound inventions of all time. It could read DNA and detect illness from miles away, alerting the person using it if they were at risk of falling ill. It may sound simple, but at the time, it was genius. Krei eventually found out about the invention, stole their blueprints, and began selling the item as their own. That's why yours has that K on it, Hiro. Krei stole this product from your parents to get back at them for not giving Krei Tech the money he wanted. You may have noticed, but Baymax was built mainly off of reference to your parent's blueprints for the spyglass. Your parents kept the whole ordeal a secret from you and your brother to keep you safe. That plan didn't end up working. Krei began building an alliance a few years ago after his company began running out of money and a large project went horribly wrong.

"Robert Callaghan was a close friend of Krei's until Robert's daughter, Abigail, became a test subject for an important experiment; Project Silent Sparrow. The experiment involved transportation in the form of portals. She would go in one and come out of the other in a pod to keep her safe. Well, the day the project was launched, Abigail went in and never came back. Robert blamed it all on Krei.

"He began boycotting the company and plotting revenge. Last year he stole two whole cages of microbots and a transmitter from this very mansion and began building them on his own. He's attempted killing Krei a few times but hasn't succeeded. Last week he left a threatening message at the Krei Tech company, claiming he would be there for their grand reopening in two days. The company shut down for a few years due to the failed experiment and death of Abigail Callaghan. But this Wednesday, it opens, and we need to come up with a plan to stop Krei, Krei Tech, and Robert while still saving Tadashi. Do any of you guys have some ideas as to how we could pull this off?"

"So wait," Hiro started, voice shaky. "Did Krei kill my parents to keep them quiet about the spyglass?"

"Yes, and he did the same thing to my dad," Fred sighed, dropping his head. "That's why we have to come up with a plan quick. Find out more about this whole thing and get Tadashi the hell away from all those Krei Tech people. So now, you throw out ideas."

Hiro put his hand to his chin in thought. How could they stop a grieving man when he has the power of microbots and portals beside him? And how could they stop Krei when they'll be at a public ceremony?

"We rebuild Baymax," Hiro said. Fred, Honey Lemon, and Gogo lifted their heads in interest. "Improve his scanner. He'll find out where Tadashi is and even help us track down Krei. Then, we improve _ourselves._ I can build each of us an advanced kind of armor to protect us from microbots and bullets. We fight Robert at the grand opening. Save Tadashi. Arrest Krei and Robert."

The four sat in silence until Fred began laughing and jumping up and down.

"Like superheroes?" Fred asked excitedly. Hiro nodded, a grin slowly forming on his face. The first one since Tadashi was kidnapped.

"Like superheroes," Hiro said softly, a grin spreading.

"Well, we haven't got a second to lose," Honey Lemon said. "We're gonna have to pull and all-nighter. Take shifts sleeping. Gogo, you have the blueprints on Baymax. Hiro has his chip; start rebuilding him. Fred, help Hiro with the armor."

"And you?"

"I've got someone to recruit for the mission," Honey Lemon smirked, standing up and grabbing her bag. Hiro didn't how it survived the fall to the ocean, but he didn't ask questions.

"While you're all wet?" Fred asked in concern.

"It's raining anyways," Honey Lemon shrugged, walking up to the three and sticking her hand out. "What should we call this mission?"

"Operation...Sunfire," Hiro suggested awkwardly. The three others smiled.

"Operation Sunfire it is," Gogo smirked, putting her hand on top of Honey Lemon's. Hiro and Fred followed suit.

"Operation Sunfire!" they all shouted in unison, throwing their hands in the air.

* * *

 _Drip, drip, drip_

 _What..?_

Tadashi woke with a stir, squinting his eyes as he realized a bright light was shining on his face. He lifted his head, taking in his surroundings. He was still on the ferry, and there were people walking around loudly above him and shouting. He was in one of the cabins, bound to a chair tightly with his mouth taped shut. He tried to remember how he ended up here.

 _House fell apart, rain, cave, Honey Lemon, more rain, microbots, ferry ship..._

 _Hiro._

Tadashi's eyes widened and he began struggling to get free, breathing heavily. Memories of Hiro sinking under the waves and swimming desperately in the rain as the storm thrashed on flooded his entire brain and it was too much to comprehend. Krei burst through the door in anger, glaring at Tadashi.

"Quit thrashing around like that, it won't do you any good at all," Krei said, rolling his eyes and ripping the duck tape off of Tadashi's mouth. Tadashi groaned in pain, piercing his anger-filled glare at Krei.

"Where is Hiro? Is he alright? And what about Honey Lemon? Did they make it to shore? Are they alive? Where are we?"

"Shut up," Krei spat. "Look, I don't know if Hiro survived or not. We sailed away too quickly. All I know is that you belong to me now, and no Hiro or Aiko or Wasabi will stop us now. But nevermind that, I need to tell you our plans for the next few days."

Tadashi gulped, staring at the ground with a worried gaze. Not even Krei was confident or sure that Hiro had survived. That storm had been dreadful, there was no chance of survival.

When that thought came into his head, tears slowly trickled down Tadashi's cheeks and he continued staring at the ground in dread.

What was the point anymore? What was the point if Hiro wasn't here?

Krei rolled his eyes again, standing up and going towards the door.

"I'll ask one of my associates to track Hiro down, and if he's alive or not, we'll let you know. But until then, you listen to everything I tell you, understood?"

Tadashi nodded eagerly, waiting as Krei ordered one of his associates to find Hiro but not to bring him here.

What he didn't know, however, was that Krei was telling the employee to do something entirely different.

"Don't really look for Hiro," he whispered. "Come in after I'm done telling Tadashi everything with a remote or a button or something. Tell him Hiro's alive and if Tadashi doesn't cooperate, we press the button and it kills Hiro. But it's all fake. Okay?"

The employee nodded, rushing off to the upstairs cabin as Krei walked back into Tadashi's cabin, pulled up a chair from across the room, and sighed.

"In two days, my company officially gets back on its feet. I obviously won't be having any speeches or toasts at this gathering; I'm still a wanted criminal, thanks to you. You, however, will be there, inside with me. We'll be watching from one of the upper floors. I'm expecting an old friend to show up, a friend who does not take much liking to you or me. He plans to come to this gathering and destroy everything I've built, but I can't let that happen. Do you understand?"

Tadashi nodded slowly, eyebrow raised at Krei. He understood but still had so many questions.

"Can I say something?" Tadashi asked. "Do I get to have answers?"

Krei groaned before the employee from before came bursting into the room, a remote with a red button in his hand.

"Your brother is alive," he said. Tadashi gasped. Krei smirked.

"He's-he survived? Where is he?"

"He's somewhere in Damocles. But listen here," he lifted the button and growled, "this button has the power to kill Hiro with one click of a button. The serum inside of Hiro can still be activated from here, and if you so much as slightly disobey us, Hiro dies."

Tadashi gulped, nodding with dread lacing his features.

His life now officially had no meaning.

* * *

Honey Lemon walked down the streets of San Fransokyo. She checked her watch; 3:22 AM. The rain still came down in sheets. She jogged down to Mulctuary Money Management, gasping in relief to see exactly the person she needed to see sitting on a bench outside of the building.

"Wasabi?"

Indeed, Wasabi raised his head at the call, taken aback by who had made it.

"Honey Lemon? What are you doing here? Well, nevermind, I won't be needing you as an assistant anymore."

"Why?" Honey asked.

"I've been fired," Wasabi sighed, leaning over to rest his head in his hands. "I lost Tadashi, Hiro, and Alistar, so they fired me. I don't blame them. I hated that job anyway. And besides, Eleanora broke up with me. So now I'm just a confused 21-year-old guy sitting outside of a bank with no place to go and no plan."

"Wasabi, this could NOT have worked out more perfectly!" Honey shrieked, taking Wasabi's hand.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I need you. We need you. Wasabi, look, we both know you were bad at this job. And besides, your heart belongs in robotics! You know it, too. You're an expert in the field."

"Honey, what are you _talking_ about?"

"I'm talking about coming to join Fred, Gogo, Hiro and I in saving Tadashi's life and stopping Alistar Krei!"

"You know where Hiro and Tadashi are?" Wasabi gasped.

"Kind of. We have Hiro. Freddie is _alive_ , and Gogo is helping Hiro build armor for our team. We're gonna stop Krei and Callaghan."

"Armor? Stop Krei? What, like a superhero?"

"Exactly like a superhero! Wasabi, please, we need your muscle. Besides, I've seen you working on some weapon in your office during your breaks. What are you building? A laser?"

Wasabi stared at the ground before standing up with a beaming smile, running ahead of Honey Lemon.

"Come on! I'm in!"

Honey grinned, jogging after him and toward Fred's house.

* * *

Honey Lemon walked into the garage with Wasabi. Hiro gasped at the sight of him.

" _Wasabi_?" he asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Wasabi is now a part of Operation Sunfire. He's safe with us."

"Wasabi is the reason we were ever with Krei," Hiro scoffed. "If it weren't for him, Tadashi wouldn't have been tied to a chair on a ferry going through god knows what."

"I know, and I really am sorry," Wasabi defended, putting a hand to his chest. "My parents forced me into that job. It's not all my fault that I was bad at it. And besides, it's been my dream to major in robotics at SFIT. If I can't do that, can I at least do this?"

Hiro sighed but complied, walking up to Wasabi to shake his hand.

"Alright," Hiro said. "But if anything happens to Tadashi-"

"We'll get him back," Wasabi said hopefully. Hiro smiled just slightly.

"Alright, team, let's get to work!" Gogo shouted, checking her watch. "We've got approximately 39 hours until the Krei opening and Robert shows up to fight. Honey Lemon, I'll need your help rebuilding Baymax. Wasabi, Hiro and Fred, you work on the armor. Go!"

The five of them quickly went to their workstations, struggling to gather everything they needed. Hiro went to work with the 3D printer and informed the others that the armor would have to be different colors so that he could tell them apart. Because of this, the heroes each requested a unique design for each of their own suits, and Hiro worked as sharply as ever to get the job done.

In the end, Honey Lemon's suit was pink and yellow, Gogo's yellow and red, Fred's orange and blue, and Wasabi's blue and green. He incorporated each one of their talents into the process, giving Honey Lemon chemical weapons, Gogo electromagnetic skates, Wasabi laser-induced plasma swords, and Fred...

Springy shoes and fire breathing abilities.

Finally, after Gogo and Honey Lemon finished Baymax, Hiro got to work on his own suit and the large robot's suit. He gave Baymax much stronger armor because of his sensitive vinyl. He decided to make both of theirs incredibly similar, giving their suits splashes of purple and bright red. He gave Baymax the power of flight and even the ability to shoot his large fists at targets and objects. Hiro kept his own suit simple. His helmet held a visor that could zoom in and out of things. He wore thick black protective gloves that went halfway up his arm. He wore black cargo shorts with knee pads and his purple and black converse.

Then, it was time to test their weapons and suits in the backyard.

Honey Lemon blew some things up with her chemical bombs, Gogo did a few laps around the courtyard, Wasabi sliced some tennis balls, and Fred set some stuff on fire, much to Heathcliffe's disliking.

Hiro presented Baymax 2.0 to the group in excitement, introducing his rocket fist and wings. The gang gasped in wonder, watching Baymax and Hiro fly around a few times before they tiredly trudged inside to change, eat, and rest. Baymax informed the gang that Hiro was still sick, so he sent Hiro was sent to bed early, though he didn't mind. He trod the marble steps to his old room from his stay here with Stan and plopped onto the bed in exhaustion, looking out at the rainy city.

 _Tomorrow,_ he thought. _I'll see you tomorrow, big brother._

* * *

Tadashi had been moved from the ferry and into one of the offices in Krei Tech. He sat at a desk watching the rainy outline of the busy city. People rain holding their umbrellas up to keep safe from the storm. The rain went from drizzly to heavy sheets in a quick second, and Tadashi slouched back in his seat, eating an ice cube from his styrofoam cup. It was all he'd been given besides a stale granola bar, so every few minutes he would go to the break room to grab more ice. The employees didn't seem to mind, seeing as they were also so busy making preparations for the opening tomorrow. They hustled around the office frantically, making calls and checking the weather on their phones. Tadashi groaned in annoyance. He wanted to be anywhere but here. He wanted to be with Hiro on Damocles island. Or was Hiro even there? He couldn't help but have a feeling that Krei's employee was lying when he said Hiro was alive in Damocles. What if he was alive in San Fransokyo? Was he even alive?

Tadashi sighed heavily, resting his head on his shoulders and touching the window.

 _Soon,_ he thought. _I'll see you soon, Hiro._

With that thought in mind, he drifted off into a heavy sleep, haunted by nightmares of Hiro fighting to stay above 12-foot waves from the Damocles hurricane.

* * *

"Hiro, it's time to get up."

Hiro bolted upright the instant Honey Lemon called him. He hardly slept last night. He just couldn't wait to see Tadashi again. Three days they had been separated. Three days of constant worry and stress that would hopefully all end today. Hiro jumped out of his bed and raced down to the garage to suit up. He quickly snapped Baymax's armor on.

"Hiro, you are still very ill. Your fever has not yet broken. Bed rest and medication is suggested."

"No, Baymax," Hiro insisted, putting Baynax's helmet on. "I'm fine. It's Tadashi we need to be worried about. Let's get going before we're too late."

Baymax nodded in defeat, following Hiro out of the garage. The rain had passed and the air smelled fresh if it was even possible in such a busy city. Hiro took a deep breath in, looking around at the green grass and puddles. A few large purple clouds still hovered in the sky. Hiro hopped on Baymax's back, flying over to the front of the house. Gogo, Wasabi, Fred, and Honey Lemon waited for him there, armored up completely. The all climbed onto Baymax's back.

"Guys, we better hurry," Wasabi said, checking his watch. "It starts in fifteen minutes."

Hiro nodded, putting on his helmet and blasting the group off to Krei Tech.

* * *

" _Tadashi!_ "

Tadashi jumped as he woke up from Krei's bellowing voice. He lifted his head at Krei who clutched the pamphlet for the grand opening. He wore a blue suit, as did a majority of his staff. He shoved a stack of clothes at Tadashi.

"Put those on," he sneered, pulling out two pairs of glasses from his pocket and throwing them on the desk. "The glasses will make you look smarter and they're fake anyway, found them lying around. I've decided that you will be outside when we reopen the campus. You'll stand with the staff. Clear?"

"Crystal," Tadashi mumbled, grabbing the clothes and walking to the bathroom to change. Krei had given Tadashi a blue plaid button down shirt with black jeans, blue converse, and a bow tie. He rolled his eyes. This wasn't really his fashion choice, but he was willing to make sacrifices if it saved Hiro's life. He slipped into his clothes slowly, dreading the ceremony and begging for it to be over with already. When he picked up the glasses, however, he gasped in shock at one of the pairs.

They were Hiro's reading glasses.

Tadashi swallowed hard; he could tell they were his brothers from his brother's initials marked on the side. Putting Hiro's in his pocket, he put on the other fake ones and walked out of the bathroom where an employee took his other clothes and rushed off with them. Krei met him at the front door.

"Tadashi, I've been more than patient with you. Those are not the glasses I wanted you to wear."

"You never said so," Tadashi argued. "And besides, the other ones weren't fake. I wouldn't be able to see."

Krei only glared, pulling out Hiro's death remote and slamming his finger on the button.

Tadashi's stomach dropped as he processed what had happened.

" _No!_ " Tadashi cried, reaching for the remote only for Krei to throw it in a nearby trash bin. "You never said! How could you?!"

Tadashi dropped to his knees and hugged himself. When the day came, Tadashi was going to murder Krei. He didn't know when or how, but he was going to do it one way or another.

"Get up," Krei snarled, throwing Tadashi up by his arm. "Hiro is dead. You have _nothing_ left to fight for."

With that, Krei shoved Tadashi toward the entrance, opening the door and demanding him to go stand with the other employees. One of them stepped up to a microphone holding a glass of champagne, tapping it to gather the guests and get everyone's attention. Tadashi hardly paid attention.

 _It should have been me. I should have been killed. I should have jumped into the ocean after him, just to hold him one last time. To see his eyes gazing into mine one last time. To hear him say my name. I was weak and because of that, Hiro is suffering somewhere, lost and alone._

"This beautiful new campus is the culmination of a lifelong dream," the employee continued on with his speech as Tadashi slowly came to terms with the present. "But none of this would have been possible without a few bumps in the road."

Tadashi scoffed at his words. Was _Hiro_ just another bump in the road?

"Those setbacks made us stronger and set us on the path to a bright future!"

The crowd cheered, but not for long. A man in the crowd began screaming and pointing above the employee, causing the other audience members to panic. The employee looked up to see microbots crawling down the sides of the building. A man in a trenchcoat, the same man that had attacked Honey Lemon's house, went speeding towards the employee, wrapping his microbots around him and snarling in his face.

"SETBACK?!" the masked man roared. "Was my daughter a _setback?!_ "

He threw the employee to the ground and sent a stream of microbots into the building, snatching Krei from the door and tying him up with microbots before bringing him back up in the air.

"Callaghan!" Krei gasped. "But you...your daughter, that...that was an accident!"

"NO! You KNEW it was unsafe! My daughter is gone because of your arrogance!"

Callaghan lifted his arm, sending three large columns of microbots over the Krei Tech building, each holding a different piece to a portal. Krei cried out in horror.

"What are you DOING?!"

"You took everything from me when you sent Abigail into that machine. Now I'm taking everything from you."

The pieces of the portal all hovered over the building before snapping into place, glowing pink and purple. Parts of the building began floating up towards the portal and getting sucked in. Tadashi stood shocked, sprinting away from the building.

"No! No, no! You can't!" Krei screamed.

"You're going to watch everything you've built disappear. Then, it's your turn."

"Robert Callaghan!"

All eyes darted toward a group of brightly colored figures landing on the roof of one of the Krei Tech wings. A pink, a yellow, a green, a blue, a red, and a purple. The purple figure jumped off of the red one's back, walking toward Robert.

"Let him go!" the purple hero said. Tadashi tilted his head in confusion. That voice sounded awfully familiar. "Is this what Abigail would have wanted?"

"Abigail is gone!" Robert sneered. The purple hero shook his head and dropped his shoulders.

"This won't change anything," the hero said softly but loud enough for everyone to hear. He took off his helmet, holding it tightly and sighing. "Trust me, I know."

Tadashi stumbled back, eyes as wide as saucer plates. Under the helmet, under the armor, was Hiro Hamada, Tadashi's "dead" little brother. Tadashi shot a look up at Krei. Krei only looked up at Robert in terror.

"Listen to the brat, Callaghan," Krei spat. "Please, let me go. I'll give you anything you want!"

"I want my daughter back!" Robert roared, raising his arm and sending a stream of microbots toward the heroes. They dodged them just in time, and Hiro snapped his helmet back on before jumping back on the red hero's back.

"Go for the mask!" Hiro ordered, flying away from the roof. Tadashi ran from the clashing microbots only for the pink and the blue heroes to come swooping in, grabbing Tadashi by the arms. They went jumping up high in the air.

"Stop! No! AH!" Tadashi yelled. The pink and the blue heroes landed on one of the roofs further away, and the pink one threw a bomb on the ground. It exploded and began forming a ball of protection around Tadashi. Then, the blue hero burned it, leaving large holes for Tadashi to see and breath out of.

"Hey! Let me out!" Tadashi cried, banging on the thick wall.

"Sorry, T-man!" the blue hero yelled, rushing off to stop Robert. Tadashi cursed in frustration, looking around to see where Hiro had gone. Hiro and who he assumed to be Baymax were flying toward Robert only to be grabbed from behind and yanked back. Hiro went flying into the Krei Tech building, smashing through one of the windows and getting sucked up to the ceiling.

"Oh, my god, no!" Tadashi frantically banged on the chemical wall the pink hero had formed around him. Baymax tried to get Hiro off the ceiling but was thrown to the ground by Robert.

"Baymax!" the four other heroes cried, running to attack Robert. Robert simply waved his hand up and trapped all of them with microbots. Tadashi looked back up at Hiro and let out a yelp as the ceiling above Hiro crumbled into nothing, sending him shooting up toward the portal. He grabbed onto a metal rod just in time. Tadashi began muttering in terror under his breath, banging the walls harder and harder until finally, it cracked. Tadashi kicked it down and went sprinting toward the Krei Tech doors, running to the top floor to save Hiro. When he reached the top, he was almost sucked up as well, but he grabbed onto a metal column supporting the building.

"Hiro!"

Hiro looked down through the open ceiling. Tadashi could almost see his shocked face through his helmet.

"Get back downstairs NOW!" Hiro demanded, struggling to hold on to the metal rod. "Tadashi, this building is unstable-"

"Hiro, the others are trapped and can't save you! I don't have any armor, so I can't save you either! What do we do?!"

"WE don't do anything!" Hiro cried. "Go back outside and find somewhere safe to hide until this is over-!"

"NO!" Tadashi screamed as the metal bar Hiro was holding onto broke. Hiro went flying back up to the portal, grabbing onto a large rope just in time. Hiro groaned as he struggled to keep his grip. Several microbots smacked him in the face, shooting up to the portal. An idea came to Hiro.

"That's it! Listen up, team. Use those big brains of yours to think your way around the problem!"

The four heroes below nodded, using their powers one way or another to take down Robert's bots and run away before he could stop them. Hiro grinned before turning back to the portal and realizing he was losing his grip.

Tadashi licked suddenly dry lips, grasping onto the metal column tighter and tighter in anxiety.

"Baymax!" Hiro shouted as a large chunk of debris smacked him in the shoulder and went into the portal after him. Baymax heard Hiro from below, bursting away from his trap of microbots and soaring towards Hiro. Hiro sighed in relief when he noticed him, winking at Tadashi before letting go, curling into a ball, and being caught by Baymax halfway.

"Stupid robot!" Krei growled. Robert threw him over to the Krei Tech sign, pinning him there helpless. Baymax and Hiro landed on one of the roofs, gathering the other four teammates.

"New plan! Forget the mask; take out the bots! They'll get sucked up into the portal! Honey, Fred! Can you give us some cover and go save Tadashi from the top floor?"

"Like you even have to ask," Fred grinned under his mask.

"Let's do this, Freddie!" Honey Lemon cheered, taking out four blue chemical orbs and throwing them into the air for Fred to set on fire. They exploded next to Robert, dissolving into puffy clouds and blocking almost everything from sight. "Smokescreen!"

Robert yelled in frustration, soaring above the cloud cover and looking around frantically for any sign of the heroes. He spotted Hiro and Baymax taunting him from nearby. He sent several streams of microbots after them as they went flying toward the portal.

"Ready...and...dive!"

Baymax followed his orders, turning away from the portal last second and slamming into the columns of microbots, sending them flying into the portal.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Wasabi and Gogo chopped microbots to pieces until they both started floating.

"Woah! Gravity's getting a little weird here, guys. Wait! Let's use this!" Wasabi cheered as he lunged himself around in mid-air, slashing microbots away with his swords. "These are green blades of fury!"

"Woman up!" Gogo yelled, destroying the bots with her sharp skates.

Honey Lemon and Fred found Tadashi on the top floor before he could be sucked away, grabbing him and putting another protective prison around him. They left him on one of the roofs far away from the portal so he could at least watch what happened. Fred grabbed two metal sheets and spun them with his fists.

"Double sign spin! Now my signs are on fire!" he slit the microbot columns in half, Honey Lemon cheering for him in the background and using her chemicals to form explosions. The microbots were sent up into the air.

"Now THAT'S a chemical reaction!"

Tadashi looked up at the sky. Callaghan was sending microbots crashing into Baymax's fist, which he destroyed with ease. He said aloud his fighting techniques.

"Back kick. Knifehand. Roundhouse. Hammer fist."

Robert groaned in difficulty, sending up more microbots and tying Baymax's arms to his sides.

"This ends NOW!" Robert yelled, throwing his arms up.

"NO!" Tadashi cried from below, reaching his hand out toward Baymax and Hiro. However, at Robert's gesture to destroy Hiro, no microbots were sent to kill him. In fact, nothing but silence and anxiousness met between Robert and Hiro.

"Looks like you're out of microbots," Hiro smirked. Robert gasped, looking down and realizing the only microbots left were the ones he was standing on and the ones keeping Hiro and Baymax in place. He growled. "Baymax!"

Baymax burst from the hold of the microbots, sticking his fist out and crashing down towards Robert. Robert held his arms around himself in fear, waiting for Baymax's fists. It never came.

When Robert looked up, Baymax's fist was inches from his own face, and Baymax flew completely still, holding his position as Hiro continued to smirk.

"Our programming prevents us from injuring a human being," Hiro informed the man. "But we'll take that."

Baymax simply took Callaghan's mask off, sending himself and the portal soaring towards the ground. Baymax and Hiro swooped in to catch him before he hit the ground.

The heroes cheered in victory. Krei was tied up, Tadashi was safe...somewhere, and Robert was lying on the ground defenseless.

When the smoke cleared, however, the gang lost their smiles, dread filling each one of their minds when they realized the portal was still running.

"It's still on!" Hiro yelled. "We have to shut it down!"

"We can't!" Krei called from far away, approaching the group. "The containment field is failing! The portal is going to tear itself apart!"

"We need to get out of here, now," Hiro decided. "Let's find Tadashi and go!"

The group nodded, running away from the portal. Baymax, however, stayed glued to his spot. Hiro ran back for him without the group knowing.

"My sensor is detecting signs of life," Baymax claimed.

"What?"

"Coming from there," he pointed at the portal. "The life signs are female. She appears to be in hypersleep."

"Callaghan's daughter," Hiro gasped. Krei and Callaghan turned around in an instant. "She's still alive!"

"Abigail," Robert muttered hopefully, running up to Hiro. Hiro hopped onto Baymax's back.

"Let's go get her," Hiro said.

"The portal is destabilizing!" Krei cried, adding a scoff. "You'll _never_ make it."

"She's alive in there," Hiro sighed, turning back to Krei. "Someone has to help. What do you say, buddy?"

Baymax nodded and spread his wings, making Hiro grin. With that, Baymax lunged into the air, crashing through the portal.

"Hiro!" Honey Lemon approached Callaghan and Krei, followed by the three other heroes and Tadashi. "Where did Hiro go?"

Callaghan only stared at the portal, slowly raising his hand and pointing at it.

"What? No, no, no, there has to be some sort of mistake," Tadashi said, shaking his head and grabbing Callaghan by the arm. "Tell us where he really is!"

"He flew into the portal to save Callaghan's daughter!" Krei snapped at Tadashi. Tadashi shook his head again, falling to his knees.

"He couldn't have gone!" cried Tadashi. "He'll never make it! I just got him back!"

Nobody said anything as Tadashi let out a small sob, covering his mouth and sniffing. Honey Lemon walked up to Tadashi and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hiro hardly slept while he stayed with us," she whispered. Tadashi raised his head, his eyebrow raised. "He worked in the garage the entire time on these suits. He mentioned that you always liked superheroes. He really, really loves you. And I know for a fact that because he loves you so much, he's gonna fight to come back home, safe with you."

Tadashi looked at the ground but nodded, thanking Honey quietly and smiling at her. Suddenly, the portal began shaking furiously, and the group jumped behind large piles of rock to protect themselves. After ten minutes of shaking, the portal exploded as Hiro, Baymax, and a large pod came flying out of it, crashing into the Krei Tech building. Hiro was sent flying through the window once again.

"Hiro!" cried Tadashi. The group all attempted to run to him, but suddenly, almost out of nowhere, Krei's employees circled the group, one holding a pistol. Krei laughed.

"Nice work, ladies and gentlemen, nice work," Krei clapped slowly. The group closed in a tight clump, gasping at the gun pointed their way. He walked over to the employee that had given the speech from before. "Keep them here. I'm going to finish what should have been finished a long time ago."

Krei pulled out his knife with a growl, running towards the Krei Tech building.

"NO! HIRO!" Tadashi screamed. One of the employees marched up to Tadashi with the pistol, angrily nudging it his way.

"Not so fast," the woman scolded, slowly backing up.

"Is that how it's gonna be?" Honey Lemon growled. "Fine."

Honey Lemon generated two bombs, throwing them to the ground. It created a toxic smell that temporarily held back the employees. Fred and Wasabi took their guns from them, running into the Krei Tech building after Hiro. Wasabi threw the gun into a gaping hole in the ground that went several feet deep. Before Tadashi could run someone grabbed his arm.

"Excuse me, sir, this building is extremely unstable; whatever you need in there will have to wait."

Tadashi gasped, realizing the man holding his arm was indeed a police officer. Tadashi looked beyond the man and realized the fire department, the police department, and the ambulance had arrived, sweeping the area for victims.

"Sir, there are people still in the building," Honey Lemon informed the man. "Hiro Hamada, Alistar Krei, and Abigail Callaghan. It is extremely important that Alistar is taken into custody. Hiro and Abigail will most likely need medical attention-"

"Yes, thank you, ma'am. We've got this under control."

The police officer ran into the building with his gun, followed by three firefighters. Tadashi couldn't hear, he couldn't think, he couldn't speak. He stood staring at the building until Honey Lemon took him by the arm and led him to an ambulance car. They wrapped him in a trauma blanket and sat him on the edge of the ambulance car, asking him questions about his capture with Alistar and what he knew about his plans to kill Hiro. He didn't feel comfortable answering questions about his little brother yet, which they understood. He asked Honey Lemon to leave him alone for a few minutes, so she went and joined the other heroes. They managed to get Abigail out of her large pod, strapping her to a gurney and carting her away. Robert begged to see her but was shoved into a police car before he could say anything else.

Now, all Tadashi could do was _wait._

* * *

"Oh, Hiro?" Krei taunted, his voice echoing in the ruined building. Hiro hid on the third floor behind a ravaged file cabinet, covering his mouth so that Krei wouldn't hear his breathing. Baymax had lost his battery and died right on the spot, so Hiro had to run away by himself with no way of protecting himself. He would never admit it, but he was terrified out of his mind. He could see and hear sirens outside, so the police were obviously here, but the building must be too dangerous to just walk into, so maybe they were waiting.

"Hiro, you know this can be quick if you just let it," Krei laughed. "Tadashi is outside in the ambulance, all worked up about you. I would hate to be the one to tell him you'll be dead when we're through here, wouldn't you?"

Hiro gulped as Krei's voice got louder. He was definitely close, and he probably knew where he was and was just enjoying himself.

"Whether I have Tadashi or not, you don't matter to anyone. You were supposed to be dead the day you came to my house."

"I do matter to someone," Hiro spoke up, rising from behind the filing cabinet. Krei smirked, holding up his golden dagger. "I matter to Tadashi. That's the only thing that matters. Tadashi. So you better pray to god that I don't kill you the second I have my hands on a weapon because nobody hurts Tadashi except for me. You can keep your wealthy hands away from us and our inheritance. All for some stupid spyglass!"

"FREEZE!"

Krei whipped around as a police officer went running towards him, pistol out. Krei ran to Hiro, grabbing him by the neck and holding the dagger out.

"If you shoot, he dies!" Krei roared, backing away from the officer.

"Take the shot!" Hiro cried. "End it now! End this whole thing right here! Take the god damn shot!"

Hiro flung Krei's arms off from around him, ducking to miss the bullet. The police took the shot, shooting Krei in the chest. Krei screamed and went tumbling to the ground after Hiro.

On his way down, Alistar Krei stabbed Hiro in the stomach.

Hiro wasn't sure how to react at first; all he could feel was searing pain until he looked over as Krei toppled to the floor lifeless. His eyes remained open, staring at Hiro as though still alive. Hiro let out groans of pain and rolled onto his back, crawling to get to his feet. He looked up as the police officer rushed to help him, picking him up bridal style and sprinting out of the building, asking Hiro questions that slipped out of his mind just as quickly as they had entered. Going down the remaining three flights of stairs they had finally managed to make it out of Krei Tech. Hiro flinched at the bright flashing lights and loud noises. His head ached with pain and he realized he was still wearing his helmet. Feeling too weak to take it off, his eyes began to close in the police officers arms.

"Don't close your eyes on me, okay?" the officer said frantically. The entire campus was surrounded with crime tape, and Hiro, suddenly remembering Tadashi was here somewhere, jumped out of the police man's arms.

"What are you doing, son?!" the officer yelped.

"'Dashi," Hiro muttered, limping and looking around frantically. "Gotta find Tadashi."

Hiro's eyes trailed around the people kept away from the scene by barriers until they were caught on just the person he was looking for. Head in one of his hands, wrapped in a shock blanket and being calmed by Honey Lemon, was Tadashi, gripping the barrier with his other hand as if it would just disappear if he really gripped it hard enough. Hiro blinked, feeling something wet drip from the corner of his mouth and not really thinking to be concerned whether it was blood or not.

"Tadashi?"

In an instant Tadashi's head was snapping up toward the call, taking in a sharp inhale of air at the purple hero. Tadashi crawled under the barrier, sprinting toward him. Hiro grabbed his helmet and threw it off, jogging weakly towards his brother. Tadashi ran as fast as he could, engulfing Hiro in a protective hug and shaking in relief. Tadashi grabbed a handful of Hiro's hair and Hiro clutched a fistful of Tadashi's shirt. Hiro didn't realize just how much he'd missed Tadashi, but it was enough to make him forget how to breathe. He held onto Tadashi for his life, and Tadashi whispered Hiro's name over and over again.

"Hiro, you're okay," he repeated, but Hiro was certain it wasn't to reassure him but instead Tadashi. "You're okay, you're okay, thank God..."

That's when Hiro realized that physically, he was _not_ okay.

His heart thumped loudly in his ears, and he limply lost the fistful of Tadashi's shirt he was holding onto. Tadashi pulled out of the hug, looking at Hiro in confusion. Hiro swayed slightly, eyes drooping.

"Hiro, what's wrong with you?"

Hiro's lip tugged up slightly in a sympathetic smile, looking over at the skyscrapers in San Fransokyo.

"The city is so beautiful," Hiro chuckled, but it quickly subsided. His smiled remained as he looked down at his torso and touched it, his glove covered in blood from touching the puddle. Tadashi gasped and covered his mouth.

" _No!_ " Tadashi reached for Hiro as he tumbled to the ground. Hiro's eyes continued threatening to close, and Tadashi cupped his face.

"I'm sorry," Hiro whispered, breathing slowly.

"Shh, don't," Tadashi said as tears flowed down his face. Hiro's head began dropping but Tadashi cupped it in place. "You stay awake, do you hear me? Don't you dare close your eyes!"

Hiro couldn't fight anymore. He painfully deflated in Tadashi's arms, his own arm hanging weakly on the ground and his head dropping to the side.

"No, please! Hiro! Oh, my god, Hiro no! SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP MY BROTHER!"

A paramedic pushed Tadashi on his back, took Hiro out of his arms, and sprinting to the ambulance truck. Several other doctors carried him into the car and strapped him on a gurney, taking off parts of his armor to stimulate the wound. Tadashi watched in tears from the ground as the truck tore out of the campus and to a hospital. Honey Lemon ran after Tadashi.

"Tadashi, they found Baymax, but he-what's wrong?"

Tadashi's said nothing, swallowing hard and holding his head in his hands.

"J-just as quickly as I saw him again, he was taken away," Tadashi hiccuped. "I've been thinking about him for days and he got hurt trying to protect m-me. Th-that's supposed to be _my_ job. Not his."

"Tadashi. What Happened?"

"Hiro's r-really hurt. Krei must have done it. He tried to KILL him! I'll murder him-"

Honey Lemon grabbed his shoulders, a smile on her face.

"Tadashi, Alistar Krei was shot while he was in there. The police officer saved Hiro from him by shooting Krei, but the officer says Krei did something to hurt him. He wasn't sure; it was too dark."

Tadashi gulped, taking Honey Lemon's shoulder as well.

"Krei is dead?"

"Krei is dead!" Honey Lemon sighed in relief, pulling Tadashi into a tight hug. "Krei is dead. Shh, I know."

Tadashi melted in the hug for about five minutes before...

"We have to go to the hospital. NOW."

* * *

Hiro's eyes slowly opened, squinting from the bright light of a flashlight in his eyes. Adults were frantically talking over him, rushing around and touching at him. He didn't know how to react, lying on what felt like a stiff bed. One adult gasped when they saw Hiro's eyes and began asking questions.

"Son, what's your name?"

"H-Hiro Hamada," Hiro muttered with a cough, feeling a horrible pain in his stomach when he did. He lifted his head up slightly and looked down. He wasn't wearing a shirt but had a blanket draped around him, and there was a bandage strapped on the middle of his stomach, a large red dot seeping through it. Hiro dropped his head, looking around in confusion. What happened to him?

"Where's Tadashi?" he sputtered.

"Who? You just rest, we're gonna take you to surgery. I'm doing my job, but Hiro, you've got to do yours. Fight through it, okay?"

Hiro gulped before darkness overcame him again and he was being wheeled out of the room.

* * *

Tadashi tore through the hospital front doors, slamming his hands on the front desk and startling the receptionist, a man with red hair and a nametag that read "Jackson."

"I'm looking for 'Hiro Hamada,' can you tell me where he is?"

The man raised an eyebrow at Tadashi, clicking around on his computer and humming in thought.

"Uh, yeah, he just checked in," the man said. Tadashi sighed in annoyance.

"I figured that, but where is he?"

Jackson hummed in thought some more and scrolled down with his mouse.

"Hiro Hamada...he's in surgery, sir."

Tadashi gasped, grabbing his forehead and letting out a deep breath.

"Do you know when he'll be out? Or how long he'll be in there?"

"Probably a while. It says here on his list that he had a fever when he checked in so they've probably gotta be really careful with him over the surgery."

"Oh," Tadashi swallowed, licking suddenly dry lips and clearing his throat. "I'll just wait in here, probably stay the night..."

"Feel free, there are blankets and vending machines down that hallway. How do you know Hiro Hamada?"

"He's my brother," Tadashi said, pain lacing all three words. Jackson nodded and murmured something, turning back to his computer. Tadashi trudged to the empty waiting room, lit mainly by dim lamps and a few televisions hanging in the corners. Tadashi dropped into one of the chairs, yawning and holding his head in his hands. Even though he knew there was still going to be a lot to do after this whole ordeal was over, he couldn't help thinking _it's over. You did it. Now you just have to help Hiro cross the finish line._

* * *

Tadashi had grabbed a blanket from one of the baskets in the waiting room and draped it over himself on one of the couches. Some sort of soap opera was playing softly in the background, but Tadashi didn't have any desire to pay attention to it. All he could think about was that haunting smile Hiro had given him after their hug. They way he looked longingly at the city. His wound. How large and bloody it had been. The way he just _collapsed._ But most vividly, the way he told Tadashi he was sorry. As if it was all Hiro's fault. Their parents dying, being with Krei, the microbots, Honey Lemon's house falling apart, Tadashi being kidnapped.

Tadashi felt that every little detail was his own fault, but not in any way Hiro's.

Several thoughts swam in his head. Who was going to pay for Hiro's hospital bills? Where were they going to stay after all of this? Was Krei really gone? Where had Hiro been staying while Tadashi was at Krei Tech? He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut and swallowing hard. Whatever came after this, it wasn't going to be easy.

When Tadashi opened his eyes, he almost screamed.

Sitting in a chair across from him was Hiro, completely unharmed. He was leaning back in one of the chairs with his hands in his red hoodie pockets, and he smiled when Tadashi looked up at him.

"H-Hiro?" Tadashi croaked, throwing the blanket from off of himself and leaning closer off of the couch. Hiro nodded. Tadashi examined him. He looked a few years older, eighteen by the looks of it. His hair was still just as messy as it always had been, but he had several scars all over his arms and even a few on his face. "Hiro, what's wrong with you? And how are you here?"

"I'm obviously not _really_ Hiro, genius," Hiro chuckled. "Just a version of him. Maybe from the future, maybe not. Either way, I'm only in your head."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't act like you haven't imagined me before. Or maybe Mom and Dad. We've met, I'm the Hiro that tells you everything you want to hear. Remember?"

"How come I don't remember you?"

"I don't come around a lot. You're too busy with the real Hiro. But I decided to drop by. Check in on you. You look tired and scared, what's gotten into you?"

"Hiro, I'm terrified," Tadashi confessed, leaning forward and rubbing his hands together. Fake Hiro's eyes were suddenly laced with worry and he leaned forward as well. He stared at Tadashi in anticipation.

"How so?"

"Hiro... _my_ Hiro...he's really hurt. I'm pretty sure he stopped breathing before he was taken out of my arms. It all just happened so _fast_."

"Want to tell me what happened?" Hiro pressed on.

"You already know, you're in my head, remember?" Tadashi could only scoff.

"It's nice to have someone to talk to," Hiro smiled warmly. Tadashi sighed but continued.

"Long story short, I was kidnapped and Hiro was thrown into the ocean. I thought for sure Hiro was dead or that I wouldn't see him ever again, but out of some miracle, Honey Lemon and her friends managed to keep him safe in my absence. I didn't know he was alive, so I sat sulking at Krei Tech for hours until they lied to me and told me they were keeping tabs on him. They said they could kill him with a click of a button if I didn't do what they said. Krei pressed the button eventually, and all I remember was my life completely crumbling at that moment. Hiro was gone and I had nothing. But then Hiro returned in the most badass way," both Hiro and Tadashi laughed at this. "He literally stood there in shining armor and he saved the day. He took off his helmet and it was like all of the pieces to the puzzles just...clicked. He was okay. He would be all right.

"I should have known that wouldn't last long. Hiro may always be independent, but I never knew just how much. He hardly let his team help him the entire battle. He nearly got sucked into another dimension. That's how annoying he can be. Finally, the battle was over, and I was running to see Hiro. But Krei and Robert informed me that Hiro had gone to that other dimension just to save some lady he didn't know. Then he came back and went flying through the building next to us, and Krei ran after him to kill him. I still don't know what exactly happened in there, but whatever did, it was enough to only give Hiro a small amount of strength. Enough to talk and hug me, but not enough to keep breathing or standing. He gave me this sickly smile before he just collapsed. He told me he was sorry and then he was gone. And I..."

Tadashi hunched over and cried into his hands. His back bounced with each sob. Fake Hiro took his hand.

"Tadashi..." Hiro kneeled next to Tadashi and cupped his face, wiping his tears. Tadashi took his hand back and cried harder at the warm touch. It felt too real. "Tadashi, you _worry_ too much. I'll be alright, I can guarantee you that. I'm gonna wake up and we'll get that reunion you really wanted. Neither of us will be taken from one another. Krei won't come in taking you away, and you and I can talk. It will be just us."

Hiro gasped and snatched his hand up to his face, his face becoming pale as his hand began to disappear slowly. Tadashi looked up slowly and stared in horror at him.

"Hiro? What's happening to you?"

"You're waking up," Hiro sighed. He lifted his arm as it gradually became nonexistent. Tadashi took his remaining hand. "I'll see you again. I'll tell you everything later. We'll hold each other again soon, Tadashi. I promise."

Tadashi let out another sob and watched in agonizing pain as Hiro faded away into the air, leaving nothing but the chair he had been sitting in.

* * *

Tadashi woke with a gasp, sitting up straight and frantically wiping tears off of his face. He glanced around the waiting room. There was a woman on the other side of the room, rocking back and forth nervously. She was gasping and crying and biting her nails. The sight of her was too stressful, so Tadashi threw his blanket off and went to check the front desk.

"Excuse me, is there any news on my brother yet?"

Andrew hummed and typed something into his computer.

"He's out of surgery."

"C-can I see him?" Tadashi croaked. "Is he okay? How did the surgery go? He didn't wake up during the procedure, did he?"

"Calm down, sir," Andrew said slowly. "There isn't a report on him yet, but a doctor will come and tell you when he can have visitors. In the meantime, why don't you go ahead and have a seat and-"

"Please," Tadashi was practically on his knees begging the man, hands. "I need to know. I need to see him and know if he's okay."

Andrew bit his lip but let out a deep breath of defeat.

"I'll go ask Dr. Faith," Andrew said, patting Tadashi's shoulder and rounding the desk to go ask Hiro's doctor. "If anyone comes up to the front desk, will you tell them where I am?"

"For sure," Tadashi nodded, rubbing his hands down his arms nervously. He could probably call Honey Lemon and the others while he was waiting.

He sighed with a quivering breath, walking around the desk to get to Andrew's desk phone. He dialed Wasabi's number he'd had from his business card.

"Hello?" a female voice asked.

"...Wasabi?"

"Sorry, no, Mr. 'Wasabi' was terminated last week."

"What?"

"Tadashi!"

Tadashi hung the phone back up and whipped around to see a panting Andrew clutching his chest.

"What? What happened?"

"It's Hiro," Andrew said sorrowfully. "He's having a seizure."

Tadashi choked before he could say anything and leaned over to check Andrew's computer. Hiro was in room 207. Tadashi sprinted past Andrew and towards the stairs.

"No, wait!"

Tadashi shut Andrew out, tearing through the flight of stairs and racing down the hallway to Hiro's room. The door was cracked open and there were doctors shouting from the inside. He could even hear Hiro crying out through all of the yelling.

 _He needs you now._

Tadashi ran into Hiro's room, horror overcoming him at the sight. Hiro was in the hospital bed, completely white as the sheets underneath him. His head jerked back and forth and cries of agony escaped his lips. Doctors were hooking him up to various machines and giving him a breathing mask. Only a few of them noticed Tadashi's presence and firmly told him to leave.

"Son, you have to get out. Now."

"That's my brother," Tadashi insisted, shoving the woman out of his way and rushing to Hiro's side, taking his hand. It was cold and drenched in sweat but he didn't care. "Hiro, we all need you to wake up."

Hiro's heart monitor picked up its pace and Tadashi's breath hitched in his throat. He didn't want to make any of this worse for Hiro than it already was.

"Hiro, please. Don't go. I need you to open your eyes. I need you to wake up, please!"

"Sir, get out!" the doctors were now grabbing him by his arms and trying to drag him out, but his hands stayed glued to Hiro's bed railing and Hiro's hand.

"No!" Tadashi roared, reaching up to cup Hiro's face. He felt one of Hiro's tears run down his palm and it broke his heart. He hated this, but it could all end if Hiro could just _wake up, dammit._

As if on cue, Hiro gasped and sat up straight, eyes wide until he collapsed back down and fell unconscious again. His heart monitor returned to normal and all Tadashi and the doctors could do was gawk at Hiro. It was like nothing had ever happened. The rise and fall of his chest was slow and shaky, and the patch wrapped around his waist had blood seeping through it slowly. The doctors all slowly put their equipment away and went to check if Hiro was stable, which he was. A few doctors trudged out of the room, others looked at Tadashi with wide eyes.

"You...saved him," one of the doctors croaked out. The others just nodded. Tadashi didn't say a word, reaching for Hiro's hand and pulling a chair close to the side of the bed. He rested his head on the mattress and drew circles on Hiro's hand very gently. He tried to fight back tears as pure relief flooded through his veins.

It was all right.

* * *

Hiro swallowed and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he felt was an unimaginable pain, then a warm hand squeezing his. He looked around the room he was in with confusion. He was wearing a breathing mask and he was definitely in a hospital. Someone was holding his hand.

When he looked to his left to see who it was, he nearly cried out in joy.

Tadashi was laying his head down next to him on the mattress, his hair unkempt and his hands shaking. He was muttering something under his breath. He sounded extremely frustrated. Hiro sat up straighter despite the horrible pain in his stomach and he tapped Tadashi's arm.

"T-Tadashi?" Hiro whispered, and Tadashi's head shot up so fast he was sure he had broken his neck. His eyes were wide and surrounded by purple and yellow bags. He gasped as Hiro's hazel eyes looked into his.

" _Hiro!_ " Tadashi lurched forward and engulfed Hiro in a warm hug, laughing and crying at the same time. Hiro did the same, wrapping his small arms around his brother and fisting his shirt. He missed Tadashi so much. He missed his smell, his voice, his face. He hadn't really gotten to be with him since they were in that cave all those days ago. Tadashi pulled out of the hug and cupped Hiro's face.

"Are you okay? What happened to you in there? What did Krei do? How did you become a superhero? What happened in that portal?"

"Tadashi, please," Hiro calmed Tadashi and rubbed his arm. "I'm okay, it just hurts."

Tadashi nodded, sitting back down in his seat but grabbing a death hold on Hiro's hand.

"Can you tell me what happened? I need to know."

Hiro took a deep breath and closed his eyes, thinking about where he was before he was in this bed with Tadashi.

 _Let's see...save Tadashi, go into Robert's portal, slam into the building..._

"Uh," Hiro licked suddenly dry lips, afraid to tell Tadashi in fear that he'd murder him. "Well...you see...after I crashed into the building with Abigail and Baymax, I ran to hide so that Krei wouldn't find me; I saw him follow me into the building. He did eventually find me but a police officer found me and raised his gun...then, Krei grabbed me and told the police officer that if he shot he'd kill me, but I demanded that he take the shot no matter what. I just wanted Krei gone. So I shoved him off of me and I heard the cop fire his gun. Krei screamed and tumbled to the ground, but on his way down..."

Tadashi's eyes were gleaming in anticipation, waiting for something, anything. He squeezed Hiro's hand slightly, reassuring him that he was right by his side.

"He pulled out his knife. He stabbed my stomach. He twisted it. Then, he died."

Tadashi looked pale. He felt as if he was going to vomit right on the spot. He never thought Krei was that sick. That even though he was sure to die, he wasn't going down without Hiro. He clenched his fist and rubbed Hiro's hand.

"Oh. Oh, Hiro, I'm so sorry," Tadashi said sorrowfully, brushing Hiro's bangs out of his eyes. "I never meant for this to happen. This is all my fault."

Hiro's head shot up and he looked at Tadashi, pain lacing his features.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that none of this would have happened if I had just reached for you when Krei threw you off the ship. I should have grabbed you. I should have dove in after you. You got yourself in danger more than once just for me, and it's all my fault."

"No," Hiro was basically growling. Tadashi gaped at him.

"What?"

"No. Stop that. Don't do that. You can't seriously be blaming yourself. I was wrecked with guilt for days and days when I was staying with Fred and Honey Lemon. I needed to get you back, and I acted carelessly. I went crashing into buildings and into dimensions and through people just to get to you. If it's anyone's fault, it's either Krei's or my own. But you can't blame yourself."

"Let's just both stop beating ourselves up, Hiro. And I swear to God if you go crashing through any more buildings after this, you're grounded!"

Hiro laughed before a look of panic spread across his face.

"Where are we staying after I get out of here? Who's paying for this? What are we gonna do?"

"Hiro, calm down," Tadashi warned, glancing over to Hiro's heart monitor as it picked up its pace. Hiro got out of the bed and made his way to the door. "Hiro, your stitches-!"

Hiro groaned in pain and reached for his stomach before tumbling forward and landing flat on the ground, crawling back to the bed.

"Hiro!" Tadashi rushed around to the other side of the bed and lifted Hiro up into his bed. Hiro gasped for breath and slammed his breathing mask on. Tadashi crossed his arms and huffed angrily at his brother.

"Hiro, what the hell?! You have a fever and a stab wound and who _knows_ what the heck else? You can't just go around jumping out of bed for problems far out of your control-"

"Tadashi, we have to call Mulctuary Money Management," Hiro insisted, reaching over for the telephone by his bedside. "Give me Wasabi's card."

"Wasabi doesn't work there anymore, Hiro."

"I know, we were on a superhero team together, remember?" Hiro said, rolling his eyes and extending his hand out for the business card.

"That was _Wasabi?!_ "

"Tadashi, the card!"

"Hiro, I said no. You need to rest, I'll take care of this. They've probably been wondering where the hell we are. We just kind of went off the grid for a few days. Besides, we've both been through so much. We need to calm down for just a few seconds and-"

"HIRO!"

Honey Lemon burst into the room and practically flew to Hiro's side, breathing heavily with panic.

"Where have you been? You're all over the news, people are going crazy! The team is worried sick, too. Nobody saw you leave Krei Tech because of all those doctors, and you're a missing person. Are you okay?!"

"Honey Lemon, I'm okay," Hiro reassured her with a nod, sitting up straighter only for Tadashi to insist he lay down. Hiro looked down at his hands and adjusted the irritating breathing mask around his head.

"Honey Lemon? Are we really out for a missing person's case?" Tadashi asked in worry.

"Not only that, Tadashi..." Honey Lemon sighed. "They think that Hiro is dead."

Tadashi's jaw dropped open and his eyes widened.

"What about the police officer that saved Hiro? And all of the doctors? They'll tell everyone he's alive, won't they?"

"I don't know, Tadashi, but that's still not the only news."

"What is it now?"

"Someone's filing to get custody. On the both of you. And she's a blood relative."

"What? Who is it?"

"Her name is Cassandra Hamada. She runs the Lucky Cat Cafe. And as far as Wasabi knows, she's been filing for custody ever since you left her neighborhood. She thought she would get the chance to tell you she was your aunt, but she was too late."

" _Cass?!_ " Hiro choked, yanking his mask off. "The bakery shop owner? She's our aunt? And why do you know so much about her?"

"Cass and I go further back than you think. Even further than she thinks, too. She doesn't know it, but your parents used to talk about her all the time to me. Why they kept her a secret from you, I don't know. But she wants you back, now."

"We have to call Mulctuary Money Management," Tadashi said. "We have to tell Cass that we want to be with her. She's been protecting us all this time, and we didn't even know it! She's who we've wanted to be with this whole time. We've got to tell her. And we've got to let the media know that Hiro is okay. That I'm not missing."

"Right," Honey Lemon grinned. "Tadashi, why don't you come with me to Fred's? We've got a lot to tell you."

Tadashi opened his mouth to speak, but stopped short and turned to look at his brother. He couldn't just leave Hiro here by himself. He had a large gash in his stomach and a fever, he needed his company.

"Honey Lemon...I can't-"

"Go on, Tadashi," Hiro said with a pitiful smile. "You need to know. And trust me, you won't believe what they're gonna tell you. This is your chance to get answers."

Tadashi hesitated but nodded nonetheless, wrapping Hiro in a warm hug.

"I'll be back very soon," Tadashi said. "And when I get back, we'll be Cass's. You won't be dead and I won't be missing. I'll just be right back."

Hiro nodded and pulled his blanket over himself, laying down on his pillow.

"I'm exhausted anyway," he grinned sleepily. Tadashi chuckled, running out after Honey Lemon.

Hiro's smile slowly faded as he fell into a deep sleep, haunted by nightmares of Krei stabbing him and Tadashi being taken away.

* * *

"Okay, so let me get this straight."

Tadashi paced back and forth in Fred's living room under the nervous gazes of Wasabi, Gogo, Honey Lemon, and Fred. They had told him everything and more, and it was hard to comprehend. How long had he been so oblivious, so in the dark? He felt horrible for never being there for his parents or the rest of his family. He hadn't known he had so many relatives until now. Even with his parents around, Tadashi always felt the closest to Hiro. But now...he hardly even knew who he was.

"We know it's a lot," Honey Lemon said, rubbing her arms. "Hiro could hardly believe it either. But it all makes sense, right?"

"That's the thing," Tadashi sighed, sitting down in a chair across from the couch. "It doesn't. I don't even know who I am, who Hiro is, who my parents are. This is all so...much. And Wasabi...why are you even here? Didn't you ruin our lives?"

"I'm really sorry," Wasabi croaked. "I just wanted to be like my parents. I'm sorry I was so foolish."

Tadashi scoffed and rubbed the back of his neck. He'd wanted to be like his parents too, but he would never risk the safety of orphans for it. That was just cold.

"Wasabi, I just...And you!" he pointed at Fred. "You really fell out of the pond before you were poisoned? You lived through Krei's torment?"

"Yep," Fred smirked, popping his nonexistent collar up and laughing. "What can I say? I'm a natural spy. Got it from my dad."

"We're really sorry we couldn't save him," Tadashi said sadly. Fred waved his hand.

"He was a good man. At least he went down trying to protect you guys."

Tadashi smiled softly with a nod, turning to Gogo.

"And who are you again?"

"I've grown up mixed in with all of this," Gogo said. "Fred and I grew up on the same block, and our parents used to discuss your parents and their inventions. After my father passed when I was twelve, both our parents were always shaken. So we used to team up to find out what exactly they were talking about. The rest is history I guess."

"I guess," Tadashi whispered, looking to all of them with a heavy breath. "I feel like I should apologize for the things you went through because of my family, but..."

"No, don't," Honey Lemon insisted quickly. "We all basically chose to, and none of this is your fault. Robert, Krei, they're to blame."

Tadashi shrugged, checking his phone. He had said no, but Fred offered to give him one of his old phones and even gave him an extra for Hiro. Both of their phones had burned in the fire.

"We should probably head back to the hospital," Tadashi said, standing and looking to the others. "We need to call Cass and tell her we're agreeing to her full custody over us. And we need to call the police about Hiro and me."

"Right," Honey Lemon said, standing and grabbing her purse. The others stood and rounded the couch.

"We'll help," Wasabi said. "I still have connections with M.M.M., I'll give them a call and tell them you're coming by to talk about Cass. Fred and Gogo, why don't you stop by the cafe and tell Cass about everything? She probably thinks the Hamadas are either dead or kidnapped."

"Sure thing," Gogo said, grabbing her keys and nudging for Fred to follow.

"You guys go see Hiro. We'll call you and let you know about anything."

"Are you sure?" Tadashi asked. He hated Wasabi currently, but he felt bad for making all of them do all of this for him.

"Please. Go," Wasabi smiled. Tadashi and Honey nodded, going out to the car and heading toward the hospital.

As they got in the car and Honey Lemon began driving, Tadashi couldn't help but ask a question that had been ringing in his head for days.

"I have to ask," he sighed. Honey Lemon hummed. "Baymax looks familiar. Did you get the idea for him from my parents?"

"Well, they gave me the blueprints for their spyglass," Honey Lemon sighed. "And they told me how far I could take that idea. They said I could work with you on it. I was always so excited to meet you but never got the chance. On my way to ask you if you wanted to help me, I found out that your parent's house was burned down."

"Oh."

"After I got the news and I found out who you would be staying with, I built Baymax and worked tirelessly to get you out. I knew about everything Krei had planned, and I couldn't risk Hiro being killed. Baymax kept constant tabs on you guys while I was researching."

Tadashi looked out the window and held his breath. Wow. Honey Lemon really was involved in every little thing. He shook his head, checking his phone again. He didn't know why he was expecting anything. No on had his number except for his new friends, and they only just left. Still, Honey and Tadashi were almost to the hospital, so Tadashi sat up straighter and unbuckled his seat belt.

"I hope Hiro's okay," Tadashi said as they got out of the car.

"Why wouldn't he be? He's under constant supervision and he's hooked up to all of those machines," Honey Lemon laughed. "He's fine, Tadashi."

"I just have a weird feeling," Tadashi groaned, walking up the steps to the front.

"Brother instinct, huh?"

"I don't know. I guess. I've always had it. Hiro has a knack for always being in danger," Tadashi chuckled. "But when he is, I get a horrible feeling. Like something's just not right, and my body can tell."

"That's interesting," Honey Lemon said, walking to the front desk and telling Andrew they were there to visit Hiro. He nodded, nudging his head to the stairs. "I used to get that with my puppy, Chica. When she was hurt or hungry, I could tell."

"I guess Hiro is my puppy," Tadashi laughed as they walked up the stairs. "But anyway, you're right. It's probably nothing. I have no reason to worry."

"Right!" Honey Lemon grinned, pointing to room 207 and leading Tadashi to the door. She twisted the handle, squinting in the dark room.

"Hey, Hiro-"

"Shh," Honey Lemon warned, putting her hand up to Tadashi's mouth to shush him. He frowned, raising an eyebrow at Honey Lemon as she got into a defensive stance and listened. There was a slight shuffle in the room, making Tadashi's heart beat faster. Honey Lemon slowly pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight. The light beamed and she flew it towards Hiro's bed, gasping in horror.

A dark, hooded figure hovered above Hiro's bed, replacing Hiro's liquid medicine in his tube with a dark red substance. Tadashi cried out, shoving Honey Lemon slightly away.

" _Hey_ _!_ " Tadashi yelled, racing toward the intruder. The figure jumped in surprise, running to the window and throwing the curtains over to jump out. Tadashi stood glued to his spot in defeat, watching the intruder leap away and turning to Hiro.

"Tadashi!" Honey yelled, running beside him and checking Hiro's medicine tube. The substance was still going into Hiro through his tubes. Tadashi ripped the needle out of Hiro's wrist as Honey Lemon called a doctor.

"Hiro! Hiro, please wake up," Tadashi begged, cupping Hiro's face. Hiro's eyes slowly fluttered open, squinting at Tadashi in confusion.

"Tadashi? What's going on?"

"Just calm down, the doctor is on her way."

"I'm calm, are you?" Hiro asked with a chuckle. "What happened?"

"Do you feel okay? Anything funny?"

"I feel like I got stabbed. Why?"

"Seriously, Hiro. Do you feel any different from when you woke up?"

"Well, I-" Hiro grimaced, looking down at his wrist and gazing at it in confusion as blood seeped out of it. "Well, my wrist hurts."

Tadashi cursed under his breath, grabbing a paper towel and rinsing it in the sink. He came back and pressed it on Hiro's wrist quickly. Hiro thanked him and sat up painfully.

"Tadashi, seriously, what the hell is going on?"

"Someone broke in, all right?" Tadashi said, wrapping Hiro's wrist. "He broke in and tampered with your meds. I had to take your tubes out. I think some of it still got in you. Now, tell me again; do you feel funny at all?"

"No, Tadashi, honest," Hiro said, shaking his head and looking at Tadashi in concern. Tadashi sighed in relief, looking back as Honey and Doctor Faith rushed in the room.

"What happened?" Doctor Faith asked in horror.

"Someone was in here tampering with the chemicals and the machines," Honey said, walking to Hiro's bed. "We got here just in time, but we don't know what the intruder did before we opened the door. He could have messed with the other medicine tubes or the IV."

Doctor Faith groaned in frustration, going over to give Hiro a thorough check up. Tadashi back away slightly.

"The security guards aren't here for some reason," she said with a shaky voice. "I can guarantee you this won't happen again, Hamadas. Now let's see here..."

She checked Hiro's heart monitor, his medicine tubes, his pills next to his bed, and the wound on his stomach.

"Everything seems fine," Doctor Faith shrugged. "In fact, there's no sign of anything unusual from what I can tell. But I'll run a few tests just in case."

"Thank you, Doctor," Honey said as the doctor grabbed a clipboard from the counter and wrote something down.

"Yes, thank you, doc-"

Before Hiro could finish, his heart monitor picked up its pace, and Hiro frowned before his eyes widened.

"ARGH!" Hiro cried, grabbing his head and falling back unconscious. The three adults all looked at him in horror.

"Doctor Sanchez!" Doctor Faith cried out as dozens of nurses rushed in, ushering Honey Lemon and Tadashi out of the room.

"HIRO! Wait, no, please!"

"You can't do this!" Honey cried, reaching out for Hiro as one of the nurses carefully picked him up and placed him on a gurney. The nurses shoved the two out, slamming the door in their faces and leaving them in the hallway completely dumbstruck.

Tadashi dropped to his knees, eyes wide in terror.

"No, no, no," Honey Lemon whispered, falling next to Tadashi and holding onto him. Tadashi pulled his phone out with a shaking hand, gasping at all of his missed phone calls and messages.

 **Wasabi:** _Congratulations! You and Hiro are Cassandra's!_

 **Fred:** _How's Hiro? Gogo and I just told Cass about you guys, she's on her way to the hospital now._

 **Gogo:** _Hey, dude. Almost to the cafe. Wasabi's talking to his old boss. Let us know when you can about how Hiro is._

Tadashi put his arms around Honey Lemon protectively and sobbed into her shoulder. She cried too, clinging to his back.

Nobody questioned them. Nobody stopped to talk to them. They could only sit and cry because poor, innocent Hiro was hurt, and evil, guilty people were running around the city after his blood.

Honey Lemon pushed Tadashi away, grabbing his shirt and staring into his red eyes. She let out a small sniff before yanking him close and putting her lips on his. Tadashi's eyes widened but he quickly melted into it, cupping her face and wrapping his arm around her. They pulled away softly at the same time, staring into each other's eyes again before slowly standing up and walking to the waiting room. Honey Lemon grabbed a complimentary blanket and sat down on the couch with Tadashi, draping it around the both of them and immediately falling asleep.

* * *

Tadashi woke with a start at the sound of a woman sobbing, opening his eyes to see Cass sitting across from him. She was crying into a tissue and she had a pink box next to her. Tadashi raised an eyebrow and sat up straight, careful not to wake Honey Lemon.

"Cass?"

"Oh, Tadashi, thank _goodness,_ " Cass cried out in relief, sitting up straighter and pulling Tadashi into a hug. "I'm so sorry about Hiro passing, but we will get through this together, trust me, baby-"

"What are you talking about?" Tadashi asked. "Where's Hiro? He didn't die."

"He's not dead?" Cass gasped. "Your friends told me you were okay but I didn't stay to hear about Hiro, I assumed you'd be here together. I guess when I saw he wasn't here..."

"Oh, god no, Cass, he-"

 _The last time you saw him, he was being poisoned._

"Oh no," Tadashi gasped, jumping to his feet and going to the front desk. Andrew had been replaced by an older woman, her name tag reading "Sharon."

"Ma'am? I need to know the current condition of a young patient here. Room 207, Hiro Hamada."

The woman nodded brightly, typing something into her computer.

"He's still in there. They've been doing tests for a few hours but he should be good for visitors!"

"Thank you!" Tadashi breathed out in relief, yelling for Cass and jogging up the stairs to Hiro's hospital room. The door was wide open and the lights were off, but the light from the open window overlooking the city flooded into the room. Hiro's head was turned towards Tadashi and he was sleeping. Tadashi rushed to him and checked him over to make sure he was okay. A knock on the door made him snap his head towards the entrance, relieved to see Dr. Faith.

"Who would have poisoned him do you think?" she asked in concern. "We've filed a report to the police and gave them security footage. That's all we can really do for now."

"Dr. Faith? Is Hiro all right?" Tadashi asked.

"For now," she sighed. "We aren't positive what kind of poison was used on him, but it was extremely fatal. He had some internal bleeding, but he's a fighter. He should be just fine for the time being."

Tadashi nodded slowly, turning back to Hiro and rubbing his hand. Honey Lemon and Cass squeezed past Dr. Faith to join him.

"Is he okay?" Cass asked frantically. "Is he gonna be all right? What happened?"

"He'll be okay," Tadashi said quietly. "He'll be okay."

Cass said something under her breath, rubbing Hiro's other hand. Honey Lemon swayed uncomfortably.

"T-Tadashi?"

"Hum?" Tadashi asked, looking up at Honey Lemon. Her face was laced with worry and stress and she looked anxious about something.

"I...I think I know who could have done this," Honey Lemon gulped.

"Who?" Tadashi demanded, standing up quickly. "Who did it?"

"Krei's employees," Honey Lemon huffed, as if it were obvious they were to blame. "Don't you get it? Hiro is the reason Krei was killed. Hiro is the one who showed up to Krei Tech with us to save you. He completely ruined Krei and his employee's plans, and they still want your fortune. Hiro is almost completely to blame, besides Robert Callaghan."

Tadashi took in her words. She had a very valid point; Hiro was always behind Krei's failed plans. Hiro declared that Krei couldn't legally take their fortune at the showcase, he proved that the Incredibly Deadly Microbots weren't incredibly deadly, and he even saved the entire city from being sucked into another dimension because of Krei's stupid decision with a test pilot. Tadashi couldn't help but admit it. Hiro was always the exact hero that their story needed. But unfortunately, his decisions were catching up to him, and in a violent way.

"We have to do something," Tadashi said. "We have to stop them somehow. There's no telling what they'll do to get what they want."

"Tell the police," Dr. Faith said. "That's all you can do. Or at least make sure those new superheroes stop them."

"Don't you know that Hiro is one of the-"

"No!"

Tadashi gasped at Honey's shout, snapping his head towards her in utter confusion. She shook her head at him quickly, gesturing for him to come over to him. He slowly walked towards her and she whispered in his ear.

"Fred made sure that Hiro's armor was off when he was rushed to the ambulance, so the doctors don't know he's a superhero."

Tadashi hummed in understanding, going to sit back down next to Hiro. He didn't understand why Hiro needed to keep his superheroing a secret anymore.

 _I mean, Hiro...Hiro isn't actually planning to continue with his superhero team, is he?_

Shaking his head, he put his hands to his mouth and sighed. The police wouldn't be able to stop Krei's employees; they were far too strong and violent and had far too many guns. And it wasn't like there was anyone else to stop them, what with Hiro injured. He was the brains of the team, and he didn't want the fate of his brother to be in the hands of Wasabi, the man he trusted the least. So how would they be stopped?

"We'll just have to tell the police that Krei had help and they'll understand," Tadashi shrugged. "And after that, we'll monitor Hiro at all costs. He can't be left alone, no matter what the scenario. We'll be safe in the Lucky Cat Cafe."

Cass nodded with a grin, and Honey Lemon smiled proudly at Tadashi. Hiro would be safe with all of their new friends and family, she knew it. It was just a matter of getting Hiro better and out of the hospital soon.

"I guess now that I have a legitimate guardian with Hiro now, we can talk about his condition," Dr. Faith said, pulling up a chair and sitting next to the edge of Hiro's bed. Tadashi, Cass, and Honey all leaned forward with a great interest in what she had to say. Dr. Faith eyed all of them cautiously before taking a deep breath.

"Tadashi, you were right," Dr. Faith said. "Hiro did stop breathing when he was taken away from you at the Krei Tech campus. His wounds were too much and he went into shock. When he was brought here he had a seizure which could very likely happen again, even when he leaves the hospital. It's good that he'll be under constant supervision, too, all things considering. He may have minor stomach pains later on, obviously. The weapon used to attempt murder was twisted around a few times and could have been far worse than he let it be. Hiro was very brave to do what he did from what I heard, but it's a shame he had to suffer from it the way he did. It will take time to heal but luckily all that will be left should be a scar and nothing more.

"As Andrew probably told you at the front desk, Hiro had a fever when he was brought to us and was also suffering from a severe lack of sleep. They were only hardly major, and with the proper medicine, he should recover. All we can really do is wait and-"

At that moment, Hiro stirred, sitting up and looking around in confusion. Tadashi's heart stopped, and the rest of the adults all stared at him, utterly bewildered. Hiro looked at them with complete and utter loss. What was going on?

"Are you okay...?" Doctor Faith asked, breaking the silence. Hiro tilted his head at her, looking down at his hands. What were all of these tubes doing all over him? And why were his paper hospital bracelets so incredibly itchy?

"Hiro?" Tadashi croaked.

...

"Who are you?"

* * *

 **and that's a wrap for the longest chapter i've ever written in my life (I think?) i'm really sorry that this chapter is lazy and kind of. well. trash. my brother left for the marines and my sister got engaged and my other brother got arrested and my foster sister is leaving us so life has been kind of hard lately if you don't mind me saying XD please leave reviews, they're so encouraging 3 i've really appreciated all of the positive feedback and i'm sorry for keeping you waiting for so long. not cool :( i'll see you babes later ;)**


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